The Hunting Trip
by kittencaboodle
Summary: Buffy convinces Spike to go hunting in the desert... what could happen?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey everybody! It's been awhile since I've written anything, so I'm hoping you'll like this one! The rating is legit, as always with me, so if smut's not your thing, I suggest turning away now, because this one is a bit porntastic. Have fun, and as always, leave me love, because it makes me happy! ~kitten

-1-

Buffy Summers was hungry. This usually didn't present much of a problem. But when you've forgotten to go to the grocery for two weeks because you were busy saving innocent people from evil hordes, being hungry was a problem. Buffy stood in front of the open refrigerator, gazing into its empty depths. She let the cool air wash over her and sighed loudly.

"Hungry, luv?" a voice from behind her asked. Buffy jumped and spun around, prepared to defend herself.

"God Spike!" she yelled. "Lurk much?"

"I was just comin' for a visit, pet," Spike said, smirking as he sat down at the counter.

"In the middle of the day? Isn't that a bit dangerous for you?" Buffy asked, leaning against the counter opposite him.

"I wanted to check on the Bit," Spike said honestly. "Halloween wasn't easy for anyone involved, but I wanted to make sure she was okay."

"Oh," Buffy said, surprised. Usually Spike's visits were to see _her_, not her little sister Dawn. "She's still at school."

"Yeah, I know," Spike said. "She should be home soon though, yeah?"

"Yeah," Buffy agreed. Her stomach growled loudly, and she turned back to the fridge. "Do you have any idea what I can make with ham, two eggs, tomato, cheese, and onion?"

"The only thing I can think of is an omelet, Slayer," Spike said, suddenly behind her. Buffy jumped a bit at his nearness.

"And how do I make _that?_" she muttered under her breath.

He sighed loudly. His arm brushed against her, reaching into the fridge, and she tried to ignore the tingles spreading quickly from his contact.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he pulled out what few ingredients were in the fridge and set them on the counter.

"I'm making you an omelet, because I don't trust you to do it and not burn down the house," Spike said, looking at her as if she were a child. "Now sit."

"I can cook for myself," Buffy grumbled, sitting down in the chair he had just vacated. Spike rummaged around her kitchen, grabbing a knife, pan, and cutting board. She watched, a little in awe, as he chopped the ingredients and set everything to cook on the stove. When it was finally finished, he slid the omelet onto a plate and handed it to her. Buffy dug in eagerly, moaning at the excellent flavors Spike had been able to make with her meager supplies. Spike smiled deeply at Buffy's obvious satisfaction in his cooking. He perched himself up on the counter, watching her closely.

"Buffy? Are you home?" Dawn's voice came from the front door. She walked into the kitchen, dropping her bag on the floor. With a quick grin at Spike she turned to her sister.

"Oh my god, Dawnie, you have to try this," Buffy said, offering a forkful to Dawn. The younger Summers took a tentative bite. She moaned and closed her eyes, savoring the taste.

"Oh my god, what is that?" she asked.

"Omelet," Spike said, shrugging.

"It's possibly the best thing I've ever had in my mouth," Buffy said. Spike grinned naughtily.

"Pity for Captain Cardboard," he said, leering at her. Buffy's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Oh, that's not what I meant," she said. "I-I mean, it's still true, but not what I meant." Spike laughed loudly, nearly falling off the counter.

"Oh, god, gross mental picture," Dawn said, grimacing. Buffy smiled at her sister's reaction. _Which is what you were going for, not trying to make Spike laugh_, her brain tried to tell her.

"We'll have to rectify that, won't we, Slayer?" Spike asked suggestively, waggling his eyebrows.

"I'll settle for your cooking, thanks," Buffy said. "And by the way, how do you know how to do that? I mean, you don't have too much cause for cooking your meals, do you?"

"I get bored eating the same thing every day," Spike said by way of explanation.

"Yeah, I guess warmed-up pig's blood gets a bit monotonous, doesn't it?" Dawn asked, stealing another bite from Buffy. Her sister batted away her hand, all but inhaling the rest of her meal.

"Eh, I just miss the hunt, y'know?" Spike said. "The adrenaline, smell of fear, that sort of thing. It's delicious."

"I'm sure you meant disgusting," the youngest Summers said, wagging a finger at him. "And bad. And morally wrong. Humans are friends, not food."

"Right, that's exactly what I meant, Niblet." Spike rolled his eyes at her.

"Do you ever think of going hunting?" Buffy blurted, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Spike loved the fact that she wasn't so prissy as to have pretend manners around him.

"Whaddaya mean, luv? Every time I try to go hunting, the chip tells me not to by frying my brain."

"I mean, go out and hunt animals," Buffy said, shaking her head. "Deer, coyotes and stuff. I'm sure there's got to be a lot of decent animals in the wood outside town, or even out into the desert."

"Yeah, deserts and vampires are… what would you call them? Non-mixy things," Spike said. "What with the sun and the scorching heat and the turning-to-dust."

"That's why you go at night, brain trust," Buffy said, rolling her eyes at him.

"It's too far for me to get there and back before sun-up," Spike said.

"Look, I'll go with you," Buffy suggested. "We'll take the DeSoto."

"Can't." Dawn and Spike said at the same time. Buffy frowned and looked at her sister.

"Why not?"

"Uh, 'cause, um, it doesn't so much exist anymore," Dawn said, blushing deeply.

"Why is that?"

"Cause Spike may or may not have been giving me a driving lesson, during the summer while you were…"

"Dead. Dawnie you can say it, I'm not going to freak out," Buffy reminded her gently.

"While you were gone," Dawn said. "And during said hypothetical lesson, I may or may not have wrecked it into a pole."

"And she may or may not have destroyed my poor car," Spike said, glaring playfully at Dawn.

"I said I was sorry!" Dawn cried, giving him her best puppy-dog eyes.

"Were you okay?"

"Yeah, just a couple of bumps and bruises," Dawn shrugged. "The car was the big thing hurt."

"Okay, so we take the motorcycle, and make sure we get back in time to crash at a motel along the way before you turn all dusty," Buffy said, turning back to Spike.

"You don't have to go with me," Spike said, quirking his head at her. "Why are you offering?"

"Cause you won't go if I don't make you," Buffy explained easily. "And it might be kind of interesting to watch."

"As long as you're learnin' somethin'," Spike grumbled.

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun," Buffy said. "Heaven forbid you actually enjoy yourself every once in awhile. You get any broodier and we're gonna start calling you An-"

"Finish that sentence, and chip be damned, I'll hurt you, girl," Spike growled.

"You have been of the bad-moody, Spike," Dawn said. "Go with Buffy. Have some fun. Eat a coyote for me." She flitted over to him, placed a big kiss on his cheek, and darted away again, grabbing her bag and heading for her room. Spike watched her go, frowning slightly.

"So, what do you say? Wanna go?" Buffy asked.

"Why do _you_ want to go?" Spike asked. He thought that now that Dawn was gone, he might get a straight answer from her. Maybe. He hoped.

"You've done everything I've asked since I got back," she said, "no questions asked. And I'm not so great at saying thank-you. So I just thought- well, I'm not sure what I was thinking, really- but I just kinda figured you might have some fun, and I might have fun watching you."

"So, it ultimately boils down to you, huh?" he asked, smirking playfully at her.

"Yep, guess so. I want the vicarious fun of watching you try to catch a coyote," she said, smirking right back. She brightened visibly at a thought. "Ooh! It'll be like the roadrunner cartoon! Just promise me, if you see a box marked 'ACME', don't open it."

"Sure thing, pet," he said. "When do you want to leave?"

"I'll need to get some things together, so how about you meet me back here at sundown?" she asked.

"Sounds like a plan, luv," he said as she stood to walk out of the kitchen.

"Don't call me luv," she called over her shoulder.

"I'm gonna keep callin' you that till you like it, Slayer," he yelled back. Buffy smiled to herself as she climbed the stairs. Spike's smile mirrored hers unknowingly as he threw his trusty blanket over him and dashed to the sewer opening outside her house.

By the time the sun set, Buffy had packed an overnight bag and had arranged to borrow Xander's cell phone, just for emergencies. Since Willow lived in the Summers house, she didn't have to worry about leaving Dawn on her own for a day or two, but she still wanted to be able to be in contact. Now all she had to do was wait for Captain Peroxide to show.

A few minutes after the sun had set, Buffy heard the distinct sound of Spike's motorcycle outside her house. A second after that, a loud knock sounded on her front door. Controlling her own excitement –_after all, how often do you get to see how a vampire hunts without being prey?_ - she sauntered over to the door and pulled it open.

"Sure, when I'm actually expecting you to be in my house, _then_ you knock," she said, rolling her eyes at him. She looked him over. He was in his normal everyday uniform: black jeans, black t-shirt, long leather duster, and combat boots, with his bleach blonde hair slicked back.

"Whatever, Summers. You ready?" he asked. She nodded, and he handed her a small black bag, filled presumably with a fresh t-shirt and pair of jeans. She slipped it into her backpack and threw it over her shoulder.

"Let's go," she said, following him outside. "See you later, Dawnie!" she yelled over her shoulder. Spike led the way to his bike, but it wasn't the same bike she had ridden before.

"You bought a new bike?" she asked.

"If by 'bought' you mean 'borrowed without asking' then yes," he said, grinning down at her. His deep blue eyes danced in the light from the streetlamp, and Buffy had to mentally kick herself to remind her to frown in disappointment.

"So you stole a crotch rocket?" she asked, looking the bike over. "I figured you'd at least get something respectable."

"But this is _fast_, Slayer," he said with a quick grin. "And if we've got to get out to the desert and back to a motel before sunup-"

"Yeah, I get it," she said. "But if you kill me, so help me god, I'm haunting you."

"Shut up, Blondie, I wont kill you," he said with a roll of his eyes. He handed her a shiny black motorcycle helmet. "Wouldn't want that pretty face of yours to get smashed."

"I'm serious, don't wreck this," Buffy said. "Cause you're returning it when we get back into town."

"Aw, Mum," Spike whined childishly. He climbed onto the motorcycle, waiting for her to follow. She climbed on slowly after putting on the helmet, slipping her legs onto either side of his. She held on lightly to his hips, waiting for him to take off. Spike sighed loudly and reached around to grab her hands.

"You're gonna have to hold on, luv," he said huskily, wrapping her arms around his torso. Her chest pressed firmly to his back, and her hips were smashed against his ass. Not that she was complaining. _I can totally have platonic feelings for him and still think he has an amazingly squeezable ass. And oh my god! His abs are amazing._

Without warning, or without her hearing the warning, Spike took off, flying down the road from her house. Buffy squealed and closed her eyes in shock initially, but eventually opened them to watch the road. Spike zipped through town to the outskirts in record time and took off for the desert. After awhile, she let herself relax, and damn him, she was actually _enjoying_ driving this fast. She felt like she was flying, and the only thing holding her down was the pressure of Spike's back against her chest.

It was dark, and the only things Buffy could hear were the roar of the wind rushing past and the comforting purr of the motorcycle. But she could have sworn she heard Spike singing softly to himself. She tried to edge closer to his face so she could hear him, but the cumbersome helmet prevented it. It didn't, however, prevent her from pressing her body even closer to his. She'd never admit it, but she felt… safe, almost, when she was around him. _Maybe it has something to do with that whole "Every night I saved you" thing. God, that was cute. No! Not cute! Nice. It was nice, in a friends-only thing. Not even friends; we're enemies who don't kill each other. God, Summers, get a hold of yourself, woman!_

God, did she even know the things she was doing to him? The feeling of her tight little body pressed against him was driving him absolutely mad. The heat of her alone… he hadn't felt this warm in a very long time, and he loved it. Loved _her_, but that was beside the point. He wasn't going to remind her of that on this trip. That wasn't what it was about. She was trying to be friends, and for some reason she wanted to go out to the desert with him. He wasn't going to be complaining any time soon. He rounded another corner, making her hold round his chest tighten. He grinned broadly, silently begging whatever gods existed to let her hold onto him just awhile longer. But as he pulled out of the turn, her arms loosened. He went back to singing the lullaby he- _William_, he corrected- had written. When he was singing it before, he could have sworn she got closer to him.

The night wore on, and they got deeper into the desert when suddenly Spike slowed the bike and pulled over. He waited for Buffy to disentangle herself from his body and climb off before joining her. She pulled off her helmet and looked to him for explanation.

"This looks as good a place as any, yeah?" he asked, trying not to stare as she shook out her golden mane. She was just so heartbreakingly beautiful.

"Sure," Buffy agreed. She dropped her back by the bike and set the helmet atop it. "So do you want me to go with you or hang here by the bike?"

"How about you come with me till I get a scent of somethin', then come back here?"

"Works for me," Buffy said. She knelt down briefly by her bag, drawing something from it. It was a small dagger, which she tucked into the waistband of her jeans with a sheepish grin.

"You never know," she said, looking up at him. He grinned back at her, cocking his head in that adorable way of his.

"Right," he said, lifting his head to smell the breeze. "Let's go hunting."


	2. Chapter 2

-2-

After an hour of walking through the desert without so much as a whiff of something edible, Spike was getting frustrated. Add in the fact that every once in awhile Buffy would brush her hand against his, albeit accidental, and he was a few steps away from getting pissed off. God, all he wanted to do was grab her and press his mouth to hers, hear her whisper his name… _No. stop that, you miserable sod. She doesn't want that. She doesn't _need_ that. Concentrate, before you start to get hungry._

Buffy chanced a glance up at Spike's face. He was so pale he almost glowed in the moonlight. Not that she minded, really. Overly tanned guys weren't her type. Just a few days ago a guy had approached her at the Bronze looking like he slept in a tanning booth. If they were that focused on how _they_ looked, how much attention were they going to give her? Spike… pale worked for him. No one could deny that the guy was smokin'. Hell, even Xander, who hated the vampire like dogs hate cats, had to admit that he was ridiculously good looking. And those eyes, the ones that could oh-so-easily mesmerize her. Let's just say that it was a damn lucky thing that he wasn't trying to kill her anymore, because if she was being thoroughly honest with herself, she wasn't sure how she could fight him off.

Spike froze next to her and Buffy reacted, reaching for her blade and falling into a fighting stance.

"You got something?" she asked quietly.

"Two things," Spike said, focusing his eyes at something in the distance. His eyesight was much better than hers, but Buffy looked anyways. "One, a demon, not far, to the south. The other, a coyote, to the east."

"Okay, you go for the coyote, I'll go catch me a demon," Buffy said, fingering the edge of her dagger to check for sharpness.

"I should go with you," Spike said. "I only smell one, but there could be more."

"Hey, Slayer here, remember?" she said, gesturing to herself with the knife. "I can handle it. Go catch your dinner."

"You sure?" his eyes were worried when they looked down at her.

"Yes, I'm sure," she huffed, smacking his shoulder lightly. "Now go, before I lose my temper and you lose your prey." He flashed a grin at her and took off towards the east. Focusing her Slayer senses away from Spike's presence, she felt the other demon and took off at a trot towards it.

Buffy finally caught sight of the demon about twenty feet away from it. It was a big, ugly thing with horns on top of its head and tusks protruding from its top lip. Buffy halted, waiting silently for the demon to present a vulnerability to her. She took the time to observe the beast. Its skin was a dark green that looked black in the moonlight, and she noticed that it only had three fingers, each ending in an almost hoof-like claw. It had a ridge of spikes, not on its back, which she had expected, but down its front.

It finally turned its back, and the Slayer took that opportunity to pounce, landing hard on its back. The demon fell with a roar as Buffy dragged her knife across its throat. The monster growled deeply and threw her off its back. She snapped a kick at its face, but the demon caught her leg, its tusks biting into her calf. She hissed in pain and threw the dagger, lodging it in the demon's face. The beast fell with a gurgle, embedding the knife further when it slammed face-first into the ground. To be on the safe side, Buffy walked over to where it lay and snapped its neck. She leaned down, examining her leg wound, which seemed to be healing quickly enough. Thank the Powers for Slayer healing. Now just to find the bike. It wouldn't be any fun to be stuck in the desert all night.

She headed in the general direction from whence she came, hoping to come across Spike, but she knew that possibility was chancy at best. Who knew how far he would have to chase that coyote? _Apparently not far_. A few minutes later, the blonde vampire ran up next to her, grinning like a kid at Christmas.

"Caught something, did you?" she asked, grinning back. His glee was a bit contagious.

"Easier than a drunken prom queen," Spike said, looking her over. "You get yours too?"

"Easier than a horny vampire," she snarked back. "Took a bite of my leg, but other than that, I'm good. You have some blood on your cheek."

"Lemme see," Spike demanded, wiping at his face with the back of his hand.

"I'm fine, really," Buffy protested as he kneeled on the ground. He took her injured leg in his hands, propping her foot up on his knee. He raised her jeans gingerly, holding his breath for the heavy scent of her blood. At the sight of her wound, which was closing far too quickly, he frowned.

"What did the demon look like?"

"Big, ugly, dark green," Buffy said. "Tusks and horns."

"Did it have a ridge of spikes down its front and three fingers on each hand? With real thick claws?" he asked, looking up at her face. She frowned and nodded. "Fucking hell," he muttered, dropping her pant leg down again. "Come on, we need to go _now_."

"Why? What kind of demon was it?" Buffy asked. Spike climbed to his feet and grabbed her hand, tugging her along with him.

"Glarnik'hala," Spike growled, as if that explained everything.

"What's a globaholic?" Buffy asked, stumbling as he pulled her along almost roughly. She was starting to feel weird, weak almost.

"Glarnik'hala demons are poisonous," Spike said, glancing back at her. Her leg was really starting to hurt, and it made walking hard. Spike growled low in his throat and whipped around, sweeping her up into his arms. He set off at a jog, trying to speed up their journey.

"It bit you, right?" he asked, looking down at her as he ran. She nodded, holding onto him. She had one arm wrapped around his neck and the other gripping his shoulder. "The tusks are poison-tipped. What tips ya off is the wound closes quickly. To keep the venom in."

"What's going to happen?" she asked quietly, her voice shaking slightly. She had just gotten used to being back; she didn't want to leave now.

"We're gonna get back on the bike, and head towards the hotel I saw," Spike said. They had found the motorcycle. Spike set Buffy down astride the bike, handing her the helmet and her backpack. She put both on as he slid onto the bike and started it up. The bike roared to life and Spike pointed it towards the hotel. Buffy clung weakly to him as he sped down the road. He got to the hotel a lot faster than she expected, probably because the speedometer was never below 120. He parked in front of the hotel and climbed off. Buffy struggled off, taking his hand when he offered it. Spike led her inside the hotel to a chair and sat her down in it. She held her helmet in her lap.

"I'll just be a minute, luv," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. _Damn_, he thought_, she's already running a fever. I was hoping those Slayer healing powers of hers would keep her from getting sick._ He all but dashed to the counter, where a startled-looking clerk stood staring at Buffy.

"I need a room, mate," Spike demanded.

"For two?" he asked.

"Yeah, with two beds," Spike said. Buffy wouldn't want to share a bed with him, and he didn't want to sleep on the floor, so it was the only option. He glared at the kid when he gave him a speculative look and snatched the room key from him.

"You need a credit card, mister," the kid said. Spike dug into his jeans and pulled out a card he had stolen- hey, Big Bad here, after all- and threw it at the kid.

"I'll get it when we check out," he said.

"Sure. Room 238," the kid said. Spike turned from him and shot back over to Buffy, helping her to her feet. He walked her slowly to the elevator and pushed the button. Once they were inside and away from prying eyes, he lifted her back into his arms. She slumped wearily against his chest, her breath coming in shallow pants. _Fuck. She better not die on me now_.

Spike ran out of the elevator and towards their room. Sliding the key card into the electronic lock easily, Spike opened the door and walked into the room. He carried Buffy to one of the beds, laying her down gently. He took the backpack and helmet from her and set them on the floor. Buffy's eyes were closed and her breathing was getting quicker.

"Buffy," he murmured, pressing a hand to her forehead. He brushed an errant lock of hair from her forehead. "Luv, open your eyes for me." His voice was so desperate she had to comply. Hazel-green fell on blue and he breathed in relief.

"Sweetling, the poison's in your blood," he said. "There's a way I can save you, but it's not going to be pleasant."

"What is it?" Her voice was so weak it broke his heart. His Slayer was never this weak.

"I have to bite you, luv. I need to clean your blood."

"You won't"- a shallow breath- "change me?"

"No! No, honey, I won't do that. I jus' need to get the poison out. It won't hurt me, seein' as how 'm already dead," he said, brushing his hand over her forehead again.

"Okay," she said hoarsely.

"You sure?" Spike asked, looking down at her intently.

"Do it," she panted, nodding. He turned her head towards him to bite the opposite side of her neck so she wouldn't have to see him do it, but she shook her head.

"Here," she said, drawing her shaking hand up to her neck. He could see the marks where Angel and Dracula had bitten her so long ago. _ She just doesn't want more scars_, he told himself as he vamped out. He bit into her neck as gently as he could, his heart breaking at her whimper. But there was no searing pain from the chip, which he had expected. Maybe if you were biting someone to save them, it didn't count.

Buffy's breathing got impossibly shallower and faster as he drank the poison from her. He was thankful that the poison masked the ambrosia that was her blood, or he wasn't sure he would be able to stop. When her blood finally tasted clean, he pulled away, licking the wound clean. Buffy's breaths sped up, then abruptly stopped. Spike froze in shock, hoping against hope that he hadn't killed her. Then she gasped, her back arching against the movement and her eyes shot open. Spike thanked whatever gods were watching out for her and moved to get some ice from the mini-bar.

"Here, luv, sleep. You'll be fine in the mornin'," he said, coming back with the ice. He pressed it to the back of her neck and she sighed contently, sinking into a deep sleep. Spike settled back at her bedside to watch her sleep. He got up only to close the shades as the sun rose at dawn.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: thanks so much for the reviews! they make me happy, and everyone knows happy writers write more *wink wink nudge nudge* this one's a bit longer, and more than a bit smutty. if you like it, or if you dont like it, or if you think it's just okay, leave me some love! ~kitten

-3-

What a weird dream. Big demony things and Spike saving her? Gotta be a dream. But as Buffy opened her eyes, blinking back the sleep that threatened to overtake her again, there he was, sitting on the floor next to her bed with his head resting on the bed next to her, sleeping. _That can't be comfortable_, she thought, looking down at him. She looked over at the clock. 6:45 am. He probably just fell asleep, and she wouldn't mind staying unconscious a little longer, but she couldn't let him sleep there all day. She leaned over and shook him gently.

"Spike," she murmured. Her voice was hoarse, like she'd been sick for a long time, and her head was killing her. "Spike," she tried again. "Wake up."

Spike's eyes shot open and he bolted to his feet. The movement was too fast for Buffy, who slumped back against the pillows. Her head felt light, like she'd been holding her breath for a long time.

"Are you all right, pet? Do you need anything? Do you feel okay?" The questions came in rapid-fire succession, and Buffy struggled to keep up with them.

"I feel okay, just a little tired, and kinda light-headed," she said slowly. He came closer to her again, pressing his cool hand to her forehead.

"Your fever's gone down," he said, more to himself than to her. He touched her chin, tilting her face towards him. "Your eyes are clear, that's good. Means the poison's out of your system."

"About that…" she said, looking into his eyes. He was genuinely concerned about her. She wasn't used to that, him worrying over her. "Did you do what I very vaguely remember you doing?"

"I had to bite you, luv," he said quietly. He looked so tormented it broke her heart. He turned away from her, putting a few steps between them. "I'm sorry, I din't-"

"Hey, no, it's okay," she said, trying to sit up. Spike was at her side again in an instant, bracing her back gently and helping her into a sitting position. She scooted a bit to the side to make room for him to sit down. He didn't, just stayed hovering by her side.

"You did what you had to," she said comfortingly, reaching up to touch his face. "I'm grateful for it. If you hadn't been here… I'd be gone again. I really don't want to leave again."

"Good, 'cause 'm not sure I could survive you leavin' again," he said, reaching a hand up to cup her hand on his cheek.

"Sit, go to sleep," she said, patting the space next to her. "The floor can't be comfortable, and you have to be exhausted." He hesitated, and she grabbed his hand to tug him down. "C'mon. Sleep."

"I can sleep on the other bed, luv," he said. He tried to stand again, but her small arms wound their way around his waist, pinning him to the bed next to her.

"We're both filthy, so there's no use in getting both beds gross," she said rationally. "And I trust you to be a gentleman, seeing as how I was just on death's doorstep."

"Living dead here, luv," he said with a massive yawn. "Death's doorstep's nothin' exotic to me."

"Shh, go to sleep," she soothed, leaning her head on his shoulder. He snaked one arm around her shoulder and held her tight against him. They were both asleep in moments.

It was early afternoon when Buffy woke up again, this time feeling much better than before. She moved to get up to take a shower, but found herself inextricably caught in the circle of Spike's arm. He unconsciously tightened his grip when he felt her slipping away.

"I'm going to go take a shower," she whispered in his ear. "You have to let me get up." His grip loosened, and she wiggled out, heading for the bathroom. She had to hand it to Spike; he found the only good hotel in the desert. This room was _nice_. The bathroom was bigger than the one she had at home, with a big bathtub and a shower. It even had a radio on a little built-in shelf in one corner. She turned on the bathtub faucet as hot as could be and moved over to turn the radio on quietly. She didn't want to wake up Spike, but she didn't want to be left alone in the silence, either. She stripped off her clothes, grimacing at the blood-stained jeans and t-shirt. Looking in the mirror, she examined her body. Relatively bruise-free today, a few fading ones from fights only. The wound on her leg was healing nicely, but it was still an angry red. And then there was her neck. She'd let Spike bite her where Angel and Dracula had bitten her. _Best to keep as few scars as possible_. The injury was fading quickly, thanks to her strong Slayer blood, but she could see the two small puncture marks.

She didn't remember any pain, though. She sank into the tub, thinking. She remembered the pain in her leg spreading through her body. She remembered the feeling as the venom left her body, but she didn't remember any pain when he sank his fangs into her neck. Weird. She lounged in the tub, letting the hot water relax her muscles into a delightful numbness. Once the water had begun to get cold, she opened her eyes and glanced down. _Ew. _The water was a muddy red-brown, from the dried blood on her leg and the desert dirt on her body. She stood, pulling the plug from the drain, and stepped over to the shower to actually get _clean_.

Spike awoke to the gentle sound of a shower running, and a quiet radio in the background. He sensed Buffy in the next room. He got up and walked over to the bathroom door. Lifting his hand to it to knock, the door pushed open. She hadn't closed it completely. He glanced in, seeing her reflection in the mirror. He could see her silhouette through the frosted shower door. The beautiful curve of her back, leading down to what promised to be a shapely ass. He could see the gentle way her body flowed, from her neck, over pert breasts, down her taut stomach, and further. He was almost salivating at the sheer beauty of her, and he could only see a hazy outline. He snapped out of it as she turned off the water and moved to step out of the shower. He hastily pulled the door shut silently. Waiting a moment, he knocked on the door.

"You okay in there, Slayer?" he called.

"Yeah, I'll just be a minute," she answered. Spike leaned against the wall adjacent to the door and waited. She emerged a few minutes later, skin a healthy pink, wet hair hanging over her shoulders, and a fluffy white robe covering her gorgeous body.

"Your turn," she said, flitting past him. He caught a whiff of her tantalizing scent as she breezed by. Groaning quietly to himself, he stepped into the bathroom for a _cold_ shower.

Buffy watched him walk into the bathroom and then turned to the rest of the room. The comforter and pillows of the bed they had slept on was filthy, covered in desert dust and dried and drying blood. She stripped the dirty items off and bundled them up on the floor. The sheets of that bed weren't dirty, so she sat down and reached for her bag.

Digging around, her hand hit something hard. Frowning slightly, she pulled the offending item out. It appeared to be a book, but it was inside the small bag Spike had given her. She knew she shouldn't invade his privacy, but she was curious. Opening the bag gently, she reached inside. She glanced up at the bathroom door, then down at the book in her hands. It was an anthology of sonnets. Flipping through the book, she saw dog-eared pages that marked his favorites. There were even notes in the margins in some places. She was so absorbed in the book, she didn't hear it when the bathroom door opened and Spike stepped out, a towel wrapped around his waist.

_Bugger._ She wasn't supposed to see that. He didn't even know why he'd brought it with him. He hadn't expected to actually read it, but he felt better knowing it was there in his bag. _Blithering idiot. Well done, mate, now she knows exactly what a ponce you really are._

"So…" she said, looking up at him nonchalantly. She had to remind herself to breathe at the sight of him, still dripping wet from his shower with droplets of water falling from that gorgeous chest down his abs and disappearing into that evil towel. _God, he _would_ look fantastic naked. Damn him. I'm trying to resist, here._

"So?" he challenged. She had to think to remember what she was going to say.

"Poetry, huh?" she asked, grinning up at him crookedly. His jaw clenched. _C'mon Buff, show him that you're playing_. "I'm not making fun of you. I'm just trying to picture it-" she had to bite back a giggle- "The Big Bad, bloody corpse in one hand, sonnet in the other." She managed to keep a straight face for a fraction of a second before bursting out into laughter. She rolled onto her back on the bed, laughing raucously.

Spike wasn't sure he'd ever seen her laugh that hard, so he wasn't really mad. She was so bloody beautiful when she laughed, he'd let her mock him all day long if she wanted. From his time watching after Dawn during the summer, he knew the younger girl was ridiculously ticklish. And Dawn had let it slip that Buffy was too. So the Big Bad took his knowledge and pounced, tickling her mercilessly. Buffy roared with laughter, trying to fight off his playful attack.

Spike eventually stopped tickling her, holding himself above her as she caught her breath. He became acutely aware that they were both naked save for some thin terry cloth. Her luscious heat radiated out onto him. He tried to will his body not to respond to her, but her every breath made him hard. He panted unneeded breaths and looked down at her flushed face. Her breathing had calmed, and now she was looking up at him almost shyly.

Buffy could feel Spike's reaction to her closeness almost as well as she could feel her own. The heat under her skin was building, most of all at the apex of her thighs. She smiled softly, reaching up with one hand. She ruffled his hair, making the blonde curls more prominent.

"I like your hair curly," she murmured. "You should wear it like that more often."

"Should I?" he asked quietly. She nodded, winding her fingers through the curls. If anyone had asked her, she couldn't say what possessed her next move, but in an instant she had pulled his head down to hers. She kissed him deeply, sucking his lower lip into her mouth. Her tongue begged entrance into his mouth, which he eagerly granted. She was lost in the taste of him, like cigarettes, whiskey, and some sort of hot spice. Burba weed. "Makes the blood all hot 'n spicy." _ More like makes _him_ all hot 'n spicy. God he tastes good._

She tasted like vanilla and honey and a sweet fruit, like strawberries or raspberries. Spike was lost in the way she moved her lips against his, the way her tongue was dancing inside his mouth, how her hands knotted in his hair. He was also more than a little shocked that she had initiated this. He always figured he would be the one to kiss first, and earn a hard slap for it. But she was here, writhing underneath him, kissing him so hard he figured he'd have bruises tomorrow. He moved a knee in between hers, parting them slightly. Holding himself up with one arm, he used the other to caress her face as he kissed her. His hand moved down to her neck, rubbing small circles over her skin, and down to her collarbone.

"Spike," she purred, pulling her mouth from his. She moved her lips to his throat, kissing and nibbling lightly on the skin under his ear and down his jugular vein. He moaned deep in his throat and closed his eyes.

"Get up," she said suddenly. Worried he had done something wrong, he did as he was told, looking at her shyly as he adjusted his towel. She stood, placing her hands on his shoulders and guiding him down to sit on the bed. She'd made a decision, and she was going to stick to it.

"Pet-" he stammered as her trembling fingers moved down to the knot in the sash keeping her robe closed. "Y-you don' have-"

"I want this, Spike," she said softly, cupping his face with her hand. She was shaking all over, partly from the fact that his skin was so cold, and partly because she was terrified. What the hell was she doing? This was _Spike. _Dead, evil, cold Spike. She wasn't supposed to want Spike. But she did, so was there something wrong with her? Had she come back wrong? The voice in the back of her head was screaming at her. _C'mon, girl, get a hold of yourself. Nothing's wrong with you. This has been coming on for a long time, and you know it. Now stop being a stupid, scared little girl!_

She drew him in for a quick, searing kiss and backed up again. To hell with her resignations. She took his hands in hers."I want _you_. I want to touch you, and I want you to touch me. Please."

"Bloody hell, luv, all you had to do was ask," he said. If his heart could beat at that moment, it would have been in his throat as she dropped his hands and slowly undid the knot to let her robe fall open. She slipped the fabric from her shoulders and let it fall to the floor, exposing every inch of her to his greedy eyes. He could have stared at her all day, with her perfectly toned legs, curving upward to the apex of her thighs, where only a thin strip of hair was visible.

"You wax?" he heard himself ask as he took in her glorious body.

"I wear very short skirts," she giggled, blushing. His eyes were dark with lust as they moved upward on her body to her bellybutton and up to her small, perky breasts. Hard nipples stood at attention in the cool air of the hotel room, and Spike wanted nothing more at that moment than to draw one of them into his mouth.

"Come here," he commanded, holding his hands out to her. She moved towards him as he stood up. She was small next to him, but he always made her feel equal. He pulled the towel loose from his waist, letting it fall to the floor where it may. She took in the sight of his body as greedily as he had hers. She observed the perfectly sculpted muscles of his chest, abs, legs, and- _Oh my god. Who knew the monster hiding was in his pants?_

Spike drew her to him, kissing her passionately. One hand moved to touch her breast, rubbing the skin into a delicious rawness. From Buffy's gasp of pleasure, he figured she liked it. His other hand was at her hip, anchoring her to him. His hard erection pressed against her core as his hand slipped back to cup her ass. He pulled away from her, picking up her body with ease and laying her down on the bed. Again he moved over her, holding himself off of her with one hand while using the other to tease her into oblivion. His mouth moved down, kissing her chin, then to her throat, where he placed a gentle kiss over his bite mark. Buffy arched into him as he moved to run his mouth over her collarbone, lingering in the hollow of her throat. His hands were on her hips, pinning her gently to the bed. He moved down further, finally taking one of her nipples into his mouth, and she moaned loudly. With one hand on her other breast, he moved his free hand to rest on her upper thigh. He could feel the heat radiating out from her core, and he wanted fiercely to be buried in that delicious warmth.

Releasing her nipple from his mouth with a wet pop, he took the other in between his lips. Buffy was writhing under him, head thrown back in ecstasy. When the hand on her thigh moved over her mound, she cried out.

"God, Spike, please touch me, please," she begged.

"I will, 'm jus' takin' my time," he said huskily, releasing her nipple. He placed a reverent kiss on both of her breasts and moved down even further on her body. He kissed his way down her body, worshipping every inch of her from sternum to bellybutton. When he finally reached her mouth-watering quim, he pressed his hands to the insides of her thighs.

"Open up for me, luv," he said. "I want to taste you."

"Yes, oh god, yes, please, Spike." Her thoughts had officially become unintelligible. She spread her legs for him. He teased her at first, running a finger over her folds, and her hips bucked uncontrollably against him. Then he inserted one finger slowly, and she all but screamed in ecstasy. A second finger followed, and he moved his mouth down to suck on her clit.

"Oh my god," she moaned, her fingers winding their way through his hair. He removed his fingers only to replace them with his tongue, diving in and out of her wet heat.

"You taste bloody delicious, pet," he said. "And you're wet, too. Are you this wet for me?"

"Yes! All for you, Spike," she moaned. He would never get enough of hearing her pant his name like that, all breathy and moaning. He inserted two fingers again, curling them inside her as he resumed suckling at her clit. "Oh god, baby, so good. You're so- this is- so good," she panted. He grinned at her use of the word "baby" and sucked harder on her clit. She came with a scream, her inner muscles tightening around his hand fiercely. He lapped up her juices hungrily as she came down from her high. She rested her head back on the remaining pillow, her hair slicked back to her face and her chest rising and falling with quick breaths.

"The ride's not over yet, pet," he murmured, moving up to kiss her again. She could taste herself on him, and suddenly she was ready to go again. She grinned, pulling him towards her for another hungry kiss. He was kneeling between her legs, and she could feel his hard cock against her wetness. He rubbed up and down her pussy slowly, coating himself in her. With one hand propping him up, he used the other to guide his member into her waiting pussy.

Buffy whimpered slightly, making Spike looked down at her.

"Am I hurting you, luv?" he asked gently, reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of her face.

"No, it's okay," Buffy said. "You're just…" Spike began to move slowly, making her eyes roll back and she let out a low moan. "You're just… god, you're really big." She was panting, breathless.

"Thanks, luv," he said, dropping his head to the crook of her neck. He nipped and sucked at the flesh there, starting what promised to be one hell of a hickey the next day.

"You're gonna have to go slow, please," she said.

"I won't hurt you," he swore.

God, she was so tight it was making his eyes cross. Thrusting in and out of her slowly, he marveled as she used her muscles to squeeze him in the most exquisite ways. She moaned his name and it almost did him in. Lifting his head to look at her, he kissed her lips gently. Her eyes were closed, so he touched her chin gently with one hand.

"Open your eyes, luv," he said. "I want to watch you while 'm inside you."

"Spike, oh, don't stop,"' she panted, her eyes shooting open. Her nails raked down his back and she arched into him. Locking her legs around his, she flipped them over so she was on top. She pulled him up so he was sitting and wrapped her legs around his waist. Spike kissed her deeply, his tongue massaging hers as they rocked together. She moved on him for an eternity. His hands found their way to her hips, helping her as she rode him slowly. Her lips left his only to gasp for breath before locking with his once again.

When Spike felt his release building, he slipped a hand in between their bodies, rubbing her clit greedily. She gasped as she felt her body near its climax, pulling him to her tightly. Nearing his own climax, he flipped them over again so he could speed up his pace. Spike felt her muscles clench around him and thrust into her hard. He bit down on her neck, not hard enough to draw blood, but hard nonetheless. She came fiercely. Screaming her pleasure, she kept thrusting against him until he found his release and followed her over the edge seconds later. He groaned her name as he emptied himself inside her, her inner muscles milking him for all he was worth.

"God, pet," he murmured against her neck. He ran his hands over her back in lazy circles. "You're bloody incredible. Never felt 'nythin' like that."

"You weren't so bad yourself," Buffy said, nestling against his throat. Spike moved them so she was lying on top of his body. He was still sheathed inside her, but he didn't pull out. She kissed his neck above his jugular and breathed deeply. Her heartbeat was slowing down.

"Mm, I think I need a nap," she giggled into his skin. Spike smiled deeply, turning his head to press a kiss to her hair.

"Go ahead, luv, sleep as long as you want," he said. Holding her to him tightly, he shifted them until they were under the covers. She nestled into his chest, closing her eyes. Spike continued rubbing her back gently, and he felt her body relax against him as she drifted to sleep. He was sure he could die happy at this very moment, because Buffy Summers was sleeping contently on his chest, a happy sigh escaping from her lips. _God, I hope she doesn't regret this._


	4. Chapter 4

A/N- hey guys! thanks for the awesome reviews, it makes midterms that much easier when i get love like that! this one's a bit longer than the others, but i'm sure you'll like it. leave some love!~kitten

-4-

If she was being completely honest with herself, Buffy would have to admit that waking up in Spike's arms was the opposite of a bad thing. He was breathing slow, unneeded breaths, his eyes closed. She was pretty sure he was asleep, and her theory was confirmed when she fidgeted and he didn't move. His arms were wrapped around her waist, his hands resting on her bare back. Nearly every inch of her body was in contact with his.

During the time that she'd been asleep, her subconscious had been hard at work. When she had woken up in her house the day before, she and Spike had had a tentative friendship. When she'd woken up for the first time this morning, he'd saved her life, again. The second time, they'd been something more than friends, because friends don't sleep cuddled up to each other like they had. And tonight, waking up naked with his hands on her body, they were _definitely_ more than friends. What were they? Lovers? A few days ago, she couldn't have imagined waking up like this. She knew he wouldn't regret anything that'd happened between them, but she also knew that they couldn't go back to their weird friendship from before.

She tried to focus not on what she was thinking, but what she was feeling. Spike's hands on her back: not a bad thing. His hands were calloused from a hundred-odd years of fighting, but they were also remarkably gentle. _Okay, what next?_ Spike lying underneath her: definitely not a bad thing. Spike looking like he was blissfully happy and innocent while he slept: not a bad thing, but it gave her pause. He didn't have a soul. How could something without a soul possibly love her like he said he did? He loved her, possibly more than any of her souled lovers had. When he'd told her that he'd spent every night that she was gone thinking about how he could have saved her, something in her had changed. Thinking about it now, she realized what it was: she'd gone from thinking about him in terms of a vampire who acted like a human to thinking about him as a man who occasionally acted like a vampire.

Her stomach rumbled loudly, jarring her out of her inner monologue. She didn't have any money on her, and she didn't particularly feel like getting up. She'd seen a room service menu on the desk, so she leaned over and grabbed the phone from the bedside table.

"How may I help you?" the formal voice on the other end asked.

"Hi, I'd like to order some dinner," Buffy said quietly.

"Yes, ma'am," the hotel employee said. "We're serving roast beef, grilled chicken, and fried shrimp today."

"Oh," Buffy said, a little disappointed. She rested her chin on Spike's chest, hoping the movement didn't wake him. "Do you guys have, like, a cheeseburger?"

"Yes, ma'am, we can make that for you," the employee said, sounding a little bored.

"And fries. Thanks," Buffy said. "Uh, charge it to my room."

"Yes, ma'am. Your dinner will be up soon. Thank you."

"Thanks," Buffy said as the employee hung up. _Hmm, dinner's taken care of, now just to wake up Spike_. They'd slept and… well, not slept, the entire day away. It was maybe an hour before dusk, and definitely time for him to get up. With a wicked grin, Buffy decided the best way to wake him. She edged down his body slowly, letting her hands wander down the smooth alabaster of his skin. His body was fantastic, and she could take days just adoring the perfection of him. He'd looked at her body like it was made of gold. He'd touched her like she was a religious relic that demanded his worship. It seemed only fair that she return the favor.

She slid out from under his hands slowly and moved to lie between his legs. She gently began to stroke his member, waking up the thing that had made her scream so wonderfully that afternoon. Spike turned his head in his sleep as she stroked him into hardness. Once he was standing at attention, Buffy moved up to wrap her lips around him. Turning her eyes up toward his face, Buffy sucked hard on the tip of his cock. She giggled slightly when his eyes shot open, looking down at her in shock. She batted her eyelashes at him, moving her lips down his length. He threw his head back in pleasure.

"Oh god, pet," he moaned as she squeezed him with her hand. "Bloody gorgeous, you are."

"Now, are you just sayin' that 'cause I'm sucking your dick?" she asked, releasing him with a wet plop.

"You wanna talk dirty now, luv?" he asked, grinning down at her as she took him in her mouth again. "'Cause I can do that." Buffy nodded, murmuring in her throat. The vibrations in her mouth nearly sent Spike over the edge. He took a deep, calming breath and reached down to cup her cheek gently.

"I thought you were going to talk," she said cheekily, releasing him again.

"I was going to, but you distracted me, luv," he said, grinning crookedly. "Had to concentrate on holdin' meself back."

"Don't," she ordered. She felt wanton, and she wanted him to know that. "Stop concentrating. Feel what you feel." Hell, if it was going to be her motto, it may as well apply to him too.

"Luv, you know- oooh." She licked the underside of his member and squeezed his balls gently with one hand. "You're going to make me-"

"Do it," she said. He looked down at her in surprise. "Cum for me, baby. I want you to cum now."

"Oh god, Buffy, I love you," he panted as she took him back in and sucked hard. He came hard in her mouth, his hands fisting themselves involuntarily in her hair. She licked him clean and sat up, wiping the corner of her mouth with a finger.

"I thought you needed to wake up," she said by way of explanation.

"Babe, if you wake me up like that, I'll dust a happy man," he said, sitting up and leaning forward to kiss her gently.

"Hmm, good morning," she purred, kissing him again. A loud knock on the door interrupted their kiss, and Buffy jumped off the bed, picking up the earlier-discarded robe.

"I ordered some room-service. I was starving," she explained, tying the robe closed. She leaned over him, planting a wet kiss on his lips while she pulled the sheet up to cover his nudity. Grinning at him, she moved away to answer the door. A teenaged boy, probably seventeen or so, entered with a tray in hand. He set the tray down and unloaded her burger and fries and a bottle of ketchup, all the while watching Buffy from the corners of his eyes. Spike bristled, throwing the blanket off his legs and standing. Unabashed by his nudity, he moved up behind Buffy and wrapped his arms around her possessively. He kissed the back of her neck as the boy looked on.

"Will there be anything else?" the boy asked dutifully, frowning at Spike's obvious claim on her.

"Nope, thanks," Buffy giggled as Spike moved his mouth to below her ear and suckled gently. The boy turned and left, looking a bit disappointed. Buffy turned in Spike's embrace so she was facing him and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Jealous much?" she asked with a grin.

"'E was practically undressing you with his eyes," Spike said with a pout. Buffy stood up on her toes and sucked the protruding lip gently.

"Aw, poor baby," she cooed. She turned back around and reached for a French fry.

"Didn't get anything for me, luv?" he asked, leaning past her to steal some fries.

"I thought about it, but wouldn't that be a little awkward? 'Hey, I'd like a burger, with a side of pig's blood, thanks." She took a big bite of said burger.

"I prefer cow's actually," Spike said, stealing another fry. "Pig tastes too muddy. Though that coyote was good. 'Ll have to try that again."

"Okay, ew," Buffy said, wrinkling her nose at him.

"Vampire, here, luv," he reminded her. She smiled and sat down on the bed they hadn't slept in yet, bringing her dinner with her. He flopped down on the bed next to her, one arm behind his head.

"You do realize you're still naked, right? I mean, not that I'm complaining, but-" Buffy said, mouth half-full of cheeseburger.

"You better not be complainin, luv, 'specially not after that little wake-up call," he said, leering at her. Buffy flushed a brilliant pink, and Spike laughed loudly. "Don' believe it," he said almost under his breath. "You can get me off like that- and you're bloody brilliant at it too, Slayer- and then you _blush_?"

"I don't usually act like that," she said, looking down at her lap bashfully. "I'm not sure what came over me."

"_I'm_ sure about what came under you, at least," Spike said with a smirk.

"Ugh, you're a pig," she said with a playful slap to his chest.

"Oink, oink." He sat up and reached for her plate. Taking it from her, he set the plate down on the bedside table. Grinning wickedly, he pulled her over to him, setting her astride his hips. Buffy grinned back and crushed her lips to his. Spike slipped his hand inside her robe and up towards her breast. Buffy moaned loudly, arching into him. Spike moved his mouth down to her chin, then to her neck. Buffy stiffened involuntarily, and he pulled back.

"I won't hurt you, sweetling," he said gently. "Trust me."

"I trust you," she panted. "Just… reflexes, y'know."

"I know, luv," he said, almost sadly. "But you don't have to be afraid of me."

"I've never been afraid of you, Big Bad," she snarked, grinning down at him.

"Take it back," he growled. She giggled and shook her head. "I mean it, you take it back." She shook her head again. He growled ferociously and flipped them over so he was on top. Grabbing her wrists with one hand, he pinned her arms above her head. Leaning down, he scraped dull, human teeth against her throat, grinning at her gasp. He bit down gently with his human teeth, not drawing blood. She moaned low in her throat, and he propped himself up to look at her.

"Did you like that?" he asked quietly. "Did you like me biting you?"

"No fangs," she warned. "As long as you don't draw blood, you can bite me all you want, baby."

"Mm, I love it when you call me that," he murmured, moving down her body to kiss her skin. With one hand still holding her arms above her head, he used the other to untie her robe and open it.

"Let me touch you," Buffy begged, struggling against the hand on her wrists. "Please, baby, I want to touch you too." He released her hands, and they wandered down his body, caressing the hard muscles of his back and reaching down to grab his tight ass. He moaned and dropped his mouth down to one of her nipples. Buffy arched against him. The heat was building between her thighs, and she wanted him to sate it. The telephone rang loudly, jarring them both.

"Ignore it," Spike said, moving to suckle at her other nipple.

"We can't," she protested. "Nobody ever calls hotel rooms unless it's important."

Groaning, Spike rolled off of her and reached for the phone.

"What?" he snapped.

"Sir, we have a call for a Miss Buffy Summers," the hotel employee said. "The person calling says she is Miss Summers' sister. Would you like to take the call?"

"Yes," he growled, moving to hand the phone to Buffy. "It's Dawn."

"I told you it was important," she said as he sat up and reached to grab a pair of jeans from the floor. Buffy put the phone to her ear. "Dawnie? What's wrong?"

"We've been calling you for hours is what's wrong!" Dawn shrieked. Buffy held the phone away from her ear. "Why haven't you been answering?"

"Sorry, Dawnie, I forgot to turn the ringer on," Buffy said, bending down to reach into her bag for the phone. Sure enough, there were about fifteen missed calls, all from the Summers household. "What's wrong?" she asked again.

"We thought you would be home by now," Dawn said. "Why are you still at a hotel?

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry," Buffy said. "I got attacked by a demon, and we needed a place to crash that was sun-proof."

"Attacked? Are you okay?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just needed to rest," the Slayer answered. "How'd you find out where we are?"

"Willow did a tracking spell, and we checked the yellow pages. Are you coming home tonight?" Dawn asked. Buffy noticed Spike had put on his shirt and was reaching for his boots.

"Uh, hold on a second," Buffy said, pressing her hand to the mouthpiece. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"For a quick hunt," Spike said. "Feelin' a bit peckish."

"Do you want me to go with you?" she asked. He shook his head and stepped towards her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I won't go far. Talk to the Bit. I'll be back soon." He slipped his arms into his jacket. Buffy nodded and pulled him down for another kiss.

"Buffy? You there?" Dawn asked, loudly enough that it broke Buffy and Spike's kiss. Spike smiled and turned to leave.

"Yeah, sorry, I'm here," Buffy said. "What were we talking about?"

"Are you guys coming home tonight or what?" Dawn asked. "You missed a bunch."

"Uhm, no, I'm still a little weak," Buffy said, as Spike walked out the door and shut it behind him. "What'd we miss?"

"Musical demon that Xander accidentally summoned," Dawn said. "He tried to take me down to Hell with him to be his queen, but then Willow like, growled at him, and he backed off."

"But you're okay?" Buffy asked. She realized she'd been severely sucking as sister/mom to Dawn.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," Dawn said. "It was actually kinda funny. We sang about math in class."

"Neat," Buffy said. "So, we'll probably stay here tonight and head back tomorrow night."

"Okay," Dawn didn't sound convinced. "Are you and Spike being civil? I don't want Xander to have to come pick you up because you dusted him and you can't drive his motorcycle. And I don't want you to dust him, either."

"Yeah, about that-" Buffy began.

"YOU DUSTED HIM?!" Dawn yelled.

"NO! No, I didn't dust him," Buffy assured her. "And, uh, we're not even arguing."

"Really? Well, that is an improvement," Dawn said.

"Yeah. Uh, Dawnie?"

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked.

"Nothing, but, um, are you alone?" Buffy asked.

"Not at the moment," Dawn said.

"Can you get alone? I need to talk to you about something. A sister something," Buffy said.

"Yeah, gimme a minute," Dawn said. Buffy heard a brief, muted conversation, probably with Willow, and then she could hear Dawn climbing the stairs. A moment later, Dawn pressed the phone back to her ear.

"Okay, so what's up?" the younger Summers asked.

"You're alone?" Buffy asked. Telling Dawn was one thing. Dawn adored Spike, so she probably wouldn't have any problem with them sleeping together. Unless she hadn't gotten over that crush of hers. Regardless, Buffy was sure she could tell her with little to no judgment. But her friends… Buffy just wasn't sure they'd understand. Hell, she wasn't sure _she _understood. Was she in love with him? Was it just lust? _The big question is- _can_ I be in love with him?_

"Yeah, I'm alone," Dawn said, a bit agitated. "What's going on, Buff?"

"Okay, you might want to sit down," Buffy warned. She heard bedsprings squeak. "Um, so, I might have… slept with Spike."

"Slept… with Spike," Dawn said slowly. Buffy could almost hear her mind ticking. "Okay, so, weird, but dealing. Is that why you guys went away? To get in some-"

"No, no Dawnie, we just went hunting," Buffy said.

"So you guys weren't together before?"

"No," Buffy said. She frowned, thinking hard. "You aren't, like, crazy disappointed in me?"

"Why would I be disappointed in you?" Dawn asked. "You don't have any big, mystical duty to me. I'm your sister. You don't have to be perfect for me."

"Dawnie," Buffy sighed. Tears were welling up in her eyes. "I-"

"Not that I'm saying that it's a mistake," Dawn said quickly. "As far as I'm concerned, Spike's been a part of the family for a long time. He's like the cool older brother who gave me a cigarette just so that I'd smoke it and then throw up so I'd never smoke them again."

"He- gave you a cigarette?" Buffy asked. _He's totally getting punished for that later._

"It was for my own good," Dawn said. "Those things were disgusting."

"Good, think that forever," Buffy ordered. "Anything else I need to know about? Is he giving you booze? Letting you watch dirty movies?"

"No, he's a good big brother," Dawn laughed. She went quiet for a long minute. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know," Buffy sighed, laying face down on the bed. She could still smell him on the pillow. "I'm not sure what I'm feeling, Dawnie. Everything's just so jumbled in my brain."

"Well, are you thinking that you want to try to figure it out, or are you going to be, well, _you_ and run as fast as you can in the other direction?" Dawn asked.

"I think I want to try," Buffy said, ignoring the dig. "I dunno. I mean, on the one hand, evil dead. But on the other, he's really been trying lately to be good."

"He _is_ good, Buff," Dawn argued. "Look, I was with him practically 24/7 this summer. He even stopped talking about the old days. I think he's starting to feel bad about what he did. And he does love you, okay? I saw him after you died. He was a wreck. He tried to hide it when he was around me, 'cause let's face it, I was a wreck too. We all missed you, but it was like something in him broke when you fell." Dawn sighed heavily. "Look, I'm not trying to guilt-trip you into a relationship or anything like that. I'm just saying- if you're going to do this, do it right. Don't hurt him, because I'm honestly not sure he could take it."

Buffy had begun to cry softly. "I know," she said. "I don't want to hurt him, which is a first. I'm just not sure how I feel. I mean, I'm not in love with him, I know that. But I think I could be in love with him if I tried."

"Okay, well that's a start," Dawn said. She was quiet a long minute. "Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"I have a question," Dawn said.

"Shoot," Buffy said.

"Well, I get that you wanted to tell me alone, and yay for me being the first to know, but it was just Willow and Tara here. Do you want them to know?"

"Not right now," Buffy said, sniffling. She wiped the tears from her face and ran a hand through her hair.

"I just don't want to deal with their judging," Buffy said. "Because you know they will be. God, I think that's the basis of my wiggins. I'm just afraid of what they'll say about it. Xander especially. I mean, he already ridicules Spike non-stop."

"Yeah, every time he does that I kinda want to smack him," Dawn said.

"Do it next time, maybe he'll stop," Buffy chuckled.

"Doubt it. His skull's thicker than concrete."

"Ooh and she comes out swingin'," Buffy laughed.

"Eh. Xander gets on my nerves some days," Dawn said. "I still love the big mook, but he's an idiot. I mean, Spike helped us all freakin' summer. He kept me safe, and got his butt handed to him on more occasions than one protecting Xander and the others. Xander knows that too, but he refuses to even say thank you. He's an idiot."

"I got that when you called him a mook," Buffy said. "And by the way? Mook? You been watchin' rat pack movies lately?"

"The original _Ocean's Eleven_ is Spike's favorite movie," Dawn said. Spike opened the room door quietly and slipped inside. He kept the door propped open with his hand. "I think we watched it twenty times this summer."

"Gee, Dawnie, thanks for reminding me how little I know about my boyfriend," Buffy snapped. Spike froze. Boyfriend? It was really annoying only being able to hear one side of the conversation.

"Boyfriend?" Dawn echoed. She nearly howled with laughter.

"Yeah, okay, shut up," Buffy said. "I think I've made a decision. I think I'm going to try this whole dating-Spike thing." It took absolutely everything in him to keep him from running over to her and taking her right there.

"Kinda figured," Dawn said. "Damn."

"Don't cuss," Buffy ordered. "Why damn?"

"Anya won the bet," the younger sister said sullenly.

"Bet? What bet?" Buffy asked.

"Well, me, Anya, Tara, and Willow may have made a little bet about when you and Spike would hook up, now that you're back," Dawn explained sheepishly. "Willow bet by Halloween, Anya said Thanksgiving, I said Christmas, and Tara said New Year's, but she only bet because we made her."

"Wow, I'm glad my sex life is such interest to you guys," Buffy snapped.

"Hey, you asked about the bet," Dawn said. "Where is Spike, anyway?"

"Out hunting," Buffy said. "He really liked the coyote he caught yesterday. He said he wouldn't be gone long though."

"I would have figured he'd have gone hungry before he left you alone in a hotel room," Dawn said.

"We are adults, Dawn. We can control ourselves," Buffy said defensively.

"Yeah, right, uh-huh," Dawn said. "Please. I'm sixteen, not stupid. I don't care. You two can boink like bunnies, just don't mack on him in front of me."

"First off-"

"And don't start acting like Anya," Dawn ordered. "I swear, if I have to hear about her and Xanders' orgasms-"

"Hey, the only orgasms I want to think about are my own," Buffy said. She laughed loudly. "Okay, that came out wrong."

"Yeah, sure it did, nympho," Dawn said, laughing. "Okay, so who am I allowed to tell?"

"No one right now," Buffy said. "I'll tell them when I get home. I have a couple of bombs I need to drop on them, so I'll just get it over with quickly. And frankly, I don't want to worry about them right now. I want some quality no-worry time."

"But you'll be home tomorrow night? I mean, two days of no-worry time is enough, right?"

"Yes, we'll be home tomorrow night," Buffy said. Spike had to admit, he liked it that she was saying 'we' and not 'me and Spike'.

"No getting sidetracked?" Dawn said. "'Cause I'm bored here at home by myself with no superhero freaks around to bug me."

"Aw, we love you too, Dawnie," Buffy said. "We'll be there, but it will probably be late, and you better be asleep when we get home. In fact, you should be going to bed soon. You have school tomorrow."

"Gah, thanks for reminding me," Dawn said.

"Did you do your homework?" Buffy asked.

"Don't you have a vampire to go screw?" Dawn countered.

"Fine," Buffy said. "I'll talk to you when we get home."

"Okay, love you."

"Love you too. Sleep tight," Buffy said. Dawn said her goodnight and Buffy hung up the receiver. Reminding himself to act nonchalant, Spike shut the door loudly. Buffy sat up, peering around the corner.

"That was a fast hunt," she said.

"Wasn't in the mood," Spike said. "Bribed the cook to get me some blood from the kitchen. Told him it was some poofter new-age diet."

"No, it's definitely an old-age diet," Buffy giggled.

"What'd Dawn want?" Spike asked, leaning against a wall and looking down at her. She still hadn't closed her robe, so it hung open from her shoulders, showing her beautiful naked body.

"To ask why we weren't home yet," Buffy said.

"And you said-"

"I told her that I had gotten attacked and I needed to rest, so we got a room," Buffy said. "And then I told her that we slept together." She looked down at her hands, clasped in her lap.

"Why'd you tell her that?" Spike asked, cocking his head to one side.

"I thought she deserved to know," Buffy said. "She _is_ my sister. Who I bring home kind of makes an impact on her life. And you're her friend- well, she referred to you as 'big brother'- but still, you're an important part of her life. And the two of us together… let's face it, we'll either be really, really good, or we'll be a catastrophe. There's not really a middle ground with us."

"Which side of that are you leanin' towards?" Spike asked.

"Which side are _you_ leaning towards?" Buffy countered.

"You know I love you, and you're avoiding the question, luv," Spike said. He looked away from her, sadness crossing his face. "Look, if you don' want anythin' that happened here to mean anythin', I get it."

"Spike, what we did means something," Buffy said, standing. She realized she was mostly naked, but she didn't really care. She crossed the floor between them in three strides. "Hey, look at me," she ordered, touching the side of his face. He looked down at her, eyes bright with hope.

"I'm not entirely sure what I'm feeling right now," she admitted. "I've got a lot of stuff going on in my head. I was dead, then I wasn't, I hated you, now I really don't. There are a lot of confusing thoughts that I'm not sure what to do with. It's going to take me a little while to process all of that. But I want to try. And I warn you, I'm a really bad girlfriend."

"'S okay," Spike said, drawing her to him and brushing a blonde lock from her face. He could have sworn his heart almost started beating at the word 'girlfriend'. "I'm a really good boyfriend. I'll make up for you."

"I'm serious, I'm not sure you know what you're getting into," Buffy said. Spike leaned down to kiss her.

"I know what I want to get into," he said, reaching a hand down to cup her mound gently. Buffy giggled and slapped at his chest.

"Pig," she said.

"We've been over this before, luv," he said. He backed her up to the bed until her legs hit the edge. Cradling her in his arms, Spike laid her down on the bed, holding himself above her.

"Buffy," he purred. "Can I- I wanna-"

"What do you want to do, Spike?" Buffy asked, fiddling with his belt. Once she undid the buckle, she made quick work of his jeans and slipped her hand inside, stroking him firmly. He growled in pleasure, dropping down to kiss her.

"I want-" he tried again. "God, I sound like such a sod."

"Tell me what you want, baby," Buffy purred.

"I want to make love to you," he said, so low she barely heard him. He was avoiding her eyes. Smiling, Buffy reached up to cup his cheek. She forced him to look at her.

"Love me, please," she said. He kissed her deeply and stood, stripping off his clothes hastily. He leaned back over her and slipped her robe off her shoulders. He kissed each bare shoulder gently as they were exposed to him. Settling in the bed next to her, Spike pulled her mouth back to his. They kissed deeply and let their hands roam each other's bodies. They kissed and caressed each other forever. It was sweet, and gentle, and Buffy was basking in it. Spike didn't try to prove himself, like Riley had, and he didn't treat her like she was made of glass, like Angel had. _Do _not_ think about them when Spike's… oh my god, where did he learn to do that?_

Spike moved to rest above Buffy, settling himself between her legs. She reached one leg around, caressing his with her foot. She traced patterns over her back with one hand and wiggled her fingers through his hair with the other. Spike copied her, running one hand over her hair.

"I love you, Buffy," he said. She smiled and kissed him.

"Please, Spike, I want you to love me," she answered. Spike guided himself into her gently, both of them sighing in pleasure. She was better used to his size this time, so he didn't have to move quite as slowly. Buffy wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her feet at the small of his back. She ran her hands over his arms, shoulders, and back as he thrust in and out of her. His steady pace was wreaking havoc on her body, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold back.

"Oh, god… Spike… harder… please… oh my god… baby… please." She was begging, and in the back of her mind she told herself it wasn't attractive, but she knew he really didn't care. He sped up his thrusts, and Buffy felt her orgasm building. She pulled him to her, wanting as much of his skin on hers as possible.

"Spike!" she screamed as she came violently against him. She gripped his shoulders roughly and drew his head down to hers. She kissed him deeply as she felt him find his release, swallowing his moans and roars of pleasure. Spike slumped against her, pinning her to the mattress, as Buffy resumed tracing patterns over his back.

"I'm squishing you," he murmured, flipping their bodies so she was lying on top of him. He reached down with one hand to pull the sheet over her. "Sleep, luv. Just a little nap," he said. Buffy nodded tiredly against his chest. _What is it about him that makes me so tired afterwards? _Within moments she was mostly asleep.

"I love you," he said again.

"Love you too," Buffy said sleepily. Spike barely resisted waking her up. Instead he pulled her closer to him, lost in the blissful happiness of hearing her say those words, even if she was half- asleep when she said them.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Keep up with the reviews, pretty please! There's only this one and one more left :(, but it ends good, i promise. leave me some love!~ kitten

-5-

A half-dozen lovemaking sessions and one very long nap later, Buffy and Spike were finally getting dressed. It was almost dusk, and they were just waiting for the sun to set so they could leave.

"I still can't believe you'd never made it in a shower before, pet," Spike said, buttoning her shirt as she buckled his belt.

"I just never thought of it," Buffy said, reaching for his t-shirt from the bed. He lifted his arms to help her, smiling once she had gotten the shirt down. He leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly. He'd never had a partner who helped him get dressed afterwards, but then again, he'd never met anyone remotely close to the goddess in his arms now.

"We'll have to educate you on the finer art of sex, luv," he murmured.

"Hey! Just because you're like a hundred and fifty years older than me, it doesn't make you smarter or better than me," Buffy protested, putting a hand on his chest. "I'm fantastic in bed."

"You are, pet, 'm not denyin' that," Spike said. "And 'm only a hundred and twenty years older than you."

"Whatever, you're still old," Buffy sniped. Spike grabbed her, pushing her up against the wall.

"Be nice," he growled. He leaned down and sucked an earlobe in between his teeth. "After all, I'm your boyfriend now."

"Yes, you are," Buffy purred. "And if you want your girlfriend to have sex with you, we're going to leave now and go home."

"Fine," Spike said with a deep kiss on her lips. Buffy moaned into the kiss and slid her hands under his shirt.

"Mm, no, we can't," Buffy said, pulling away. Spike moved down to kiss her neck. She already had a handful of hickeys; he may as well add another. "We've got to go home. Dawn. Dawn needs us to come home. Hellmouth. Hellmouth with no guardian and Dawn with no babysitters. She's probably got a new vampire boyfriend."

"So it's a Summers thing, not a Slayer thing, then?" Spike asked, kissing her newest love bite. "The dating vampires thing?"

"Shut up," Buffy said, bending down to grab her helmet and backpack. Spike pulled his duster on and grinned at her. Buffy cocked her head to one side and looked up at him.

"What?" he asked, matching her by cocking his head to the same side.

"Nothing," Buffy said. "I'm just not sure I've ever seen you grin this much."

"Likewise, luv," Spike said. Buffy realized she'd been grinning broadly without knowing it. "And I told you- I could dust a happy man."

"You better not," Buffy said. "Cause now that I've got you, I'm not entirely sure I'll want to give you up."

"You always had me, pet," Spike said, taking her hand in his and walking towards the door. Buffy followed, cuddling into his side. Spike wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she curled an arm around his waist. They got into the elevator and rode it down to the lobby. Spike checked them out of their hotel, taking the phony credit card from the attendant. Buffy shook her head and laughed quietly at him.

"Do I have to give that back, too?" he asked.

"Nah, it'll get cancelled soon enough," Buffy said. "But you do still have to give the bike back."

"Didn't you like it?" Spike asked, obviously hoping that if she liked it, she'd let him keep it.

"I'll get you one for your birthday," Buffy said.

"And how do you propose you'll pay for that?" Spike asked as they walked out to the parking lot.

"Easy," she replied. "I thought of it, well, after we were-" she broke off and blushed deeply. Spike leaned down and kissed her forehead. She smiled and started again. "The Council pays their Watchers, so obviously they have money. So, I make a phone call to Quentin Travers and tell him that if he doesn't put me at the top of the payroll, I'll fly to England and give him a royal ass-kicking. So then I'll have money, and you'll get a proper present for your birthday."

"Aw, you're cute when you're all fired up," Spike said, kissing her on the nose before turning and climbing onto the bike. Buffy slipped the helmet over her hair and climbed on behind him.

"I'm cute all the time," Buffy said. Spike gunned the bike and took off, causing Buffy to squeal and cling tightly to him. Even when she relaxed, she held on tightly to Spike's middle.

It didn't take as long to get back to Sunnydale as it had to leave it, so they came up on Main Street less than an hour after dark. Spike very begrudgingly parked the bike where he'd stolen it and waited for Buffy to climb off. She pulled her helmet off, handing it to him.

"Nah," he said, shaking his head. "I actually bought that. I let Dawn ride my other bike with a football helmet on, but I figured I'd need to get her a better one."

"Aw, she's right, you are a good big brother," Buffy said, tucking the helmet under her shoulder.

"Always was," Spike said. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder again as they took off towards his crypt.

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked, looking up sideways at him.

"Had a little sister when I was human," he said, looking off into the distance. "Dawn kinda reminds me of her. They've both got that same annoying charm."

"What happened to her?" she asked warily, tightening her hold subconsciously.

"She got married a coupla years 'fore I got turned," he answered, finally looking down at her. "I checked up on her a few years later. She had three kids."

"Hmm," Buffy said. Before she could stop it, a thought escaped her mouth. "Do you regret getting turned? I mean, you could have had a family, a wife and kids of your own."

"I had a hundred extra years, luv," he said. "I've seen everythin'. Hell, I even fought in two wars."

"Which wars were those?" Buffy asked with a laugh.

"Both world wars," Spike said. "I even fought for the Allies during the second one."

"Remind me to make you help Dawn with her history homework," Buffy said.

"What about you?" he asked, a little worried. "I mean, kids, family, stuff like that."

"I'm the Slayer," she said after a minute. She'd never really thought about it, what with the figurative expiration date and all. "I'm never going to have a normal life. I've made my peace with that. Would I like to have kids, a little annoying blonde cheerleader brat that has my eyes? Sure, every girl does. But it's not going to happen, so I've stopped hoping for normalcy."

"You could still be normal," Spike said as they entered his cemetery. "You could still have a normal guy-"

"Been there, done that," Buffy interrupted him. "You remember how that turned out? My 'normal' boyfriend was actually a demon hunter who ended up going to a vampire whore. Normal and Buffy are kinda non-mixy things."

"So you've decided to go for broke and date another vampire?" Spike asked, letting her go as they got to his crypt. Pushing the door open almost angrily, he stomped inside. He stripped off his duster and threw it at the chair in front of the TV.

"Hey," Buffy said, following him. "What are you actually trying to get at?"

"Look, I know what this is, and 'm okay with that," he said, grabbing a glass and a bottle from atop the refrigerator.

"And what exactly is this?" Buffy demanded.

"Convenience," he said simply. "You've come to grips that your life won't be normal, and you want to be in love with Angel, but you can't, so I'm the next best thing."

"That's what you think this is?" Buffy asked incredulously. "What, that I'm using you as a walking vibrator to scratch the itch that Angel won't?" She glared daggers at him. "And I'm using the word _won't_, not _can't._ Remember when I went to see him, after I stopped being dead? Yeah, that was a great idea. He's had his soul tied to him for months now. Cordelia found something. Yeah. _Cordelia_. She was all he fucking talked about!" Spike downed what was left in his glass and looked at her, shielding his heart from her.

"Look," she said gently, moving closer to him. He stared down at his shoes. "_Look at me."_ He turned his face up towards hers.

"Angel…" she sighed deeply. "Angel was the first guy I ever had feelings that strong for. But you have to remember that I was sixteen when I fell in love with him. Dawn's age. Yeah, I was more mature than her, mystical duty and whatnot, but I was still a sixteen year old girl. The feelings I had for him were teenaged puppy love. And then he left. He left me 'for my own good'. Told me to have a normal life. And I tried. It didn't really work out so well, as we've been over, but it did work to get me over Angel." Spike looked at her with such hope it made her heart want to break.

"I'm over Angel," she said again. She smiled broadly at him. "I've grown up a lot since then. My feelings and my heart have matured. I want different things now than I did when I was a teenager. And if you remember right, it definitely wasn't _his_ name I was screaming while we were making love the last two days."

"No, it wasn't," he said with a grin. He leaned down and kissed her gently, all trace of anger gone. "What do you say we see if I can make you scream again?"

"Hmm, sounds like a good idea to me," Buffy said, relieved that their first fight together was over. _God, that was a party compared to some of our other fights. _

"Y'know, I was thinking…" Spike said.

"Always a dangerous thing," Buffy snarked.

"Bite your tongue, girl," he growled.

"Bite it for me," she laughed. He grabbed her, pinning her to the wall. He reached down and unbuckled her jeans, slipping his hand inside to play with her. When they'd gotten dressed that afternoon, he'd expressly forbidden her from wearing panties, which had automatically made her wet for him all over again. Buffy moaned and arched her back.

"What were you thinking?" she asked, trying to get a grip on her wild thoughts.

"Well, I mean, later, of course," Spike stammered. Buffy was still amazed how he could go from cocky son of a bitch to shy poet at the drop of a hat. "I mean, if we're still- and if you want to-"

"Baby, out with it," Buffy said, panting. His hand was doing such fantastic things to her.

"If you wanted kids, and we were still together, we could find a way," he said. "It would be weird, but we could do it. Sperm donor or-"

"God, I love you," Buffy blurted out. Spike stopped his ministrations in her jeans and looked at her in shock.

"What?" he asked. Buffy smiled, pulling him to her for a kiss.

"Say it again," he pleaded, breaking away from her kiss. "Please, Buffy-"

"I love you," she said slowly. "I love you, Spike." She grinned and giggled. "That just feels a little weird still. I love Spike. I'm in love with Spike. Spike and I-" The aforementioned Spike grabbed her almost roughly and pulled her to him for a deep kiss. He lifted her up, grabbing her legs so they were wrapped around his waist.

"Bed, now," Buffy panted, breaking away from his kiss. Spike nodded, carrying her to the basement entrance. Buffy released her hold and climbed down, holding Spike's hand. The basement level was pitch-black, so Spike used his vampire night-vision to see the candlesticks. Flicking his lighter open, he lit a few candles by the bed so Buffy could see. He turned back to his girlfriend- _My girlfriend. God, I'm never gonna get tired of saying that._ He turned back to face her and found that she was naked.

"That was fast, luv," he said, stepping towards her. He ran his hands over her soft skin, grinning when she trembled. Even after all the sex they'd had over the last two days, he could still make her tremble.

"I wanted to get to the screaming part," she said, her voice shaking a little.

"Come here, baby," he said, opening his arms to her. Buffy stepped forward, molding her body to his. He brought his hands down to the small of her back, rubbing gentle circles into the flesh there. Kissing him fiercely, Buffy's hands found the hem of his shirt and pulled hard. His shirt shredded, falling off of him in pieces.

"You didn't really have to do that, pet," he scolded between kisses.

"Trust me, I really did," Buffy said, wrapping her legs around him again. Spike pushed her up against the wall as she reached between them to unbutton his jeans and free his hard cock.

"And why is that?" he ground out as she stroked him gently.

"You've had me wet all fucking night," she said, biting his neck. "I need you, now."

"You sure you want it like this?" he asked as she rubbed the head of his cock against her slick entrance.

"We'll make love every night, baby, I promise," she said, moaning as she sank onto him. "But right now, I want you to fuck me until I can't walk."

"Is that what you want?" Spike purred, thrusting up into her. Her head rolled back as she cried out.

"Oh god, Spike, baby, I love you," she yelled, fisting her hands in his hair as he pounded into her. Spike held her to him tightly, moving away from the wall. He smashed into his dresser, causing the several bottles of alcohol to fall to the ground and shatter. That didn't deter him, though, as he continued moving. They slammed into the opposite wall as he continued thrusting into her. Buffy was close to screaming in the delightful mix of pleasure and pain. She had loved it when he was gentle and loving with her, but sometimes a girl just needs a good hard _fuck_ from the man she loves. Spike pulled them away from the wall again, this time finding the bed and falling down on top of it. He pulled them until they were completely on the bed and looked down at her.

"Goddamn, pet, you feel so fuckin' good," he moaned, moving in and out of her. He grabbed one strong thigh and slid his hand behind her knee. Pulling gently but forcefully, he bent her leg until her knee was bent over his shoulder. The change in position let him hit spots in her she didn't even know she had. She screamed his name, pleading with him to keep going.

"I don't ever want to stop," he panted, reaching down to caress her clit. "I've died and gone to heaven with this cunt, luv. God, I love you. You're so fuckin' tight, baby." The entire time he rammed into her, he was talking, whispering naughty little words into her ears. He sang her praises as he loved her with his body. His words finally drove her over the edge, making her come with a shuddering scream. She threw her arms above her head, desperate for anything to hold on to. Her entire body tightened around him, and he couldn't hold back any longer. He came with a roar, shooting his long-dead seed into her.

"I love you," she panted. "God, baby I love you so much."

"'m never going to stop loving you, Buffy," he said, crushing his mouth down to hers again.

"You better not," she ordered. "'Cause, oh my god, Spike, you are amazing. I didn't know sex could feel like that."

"Well, 'course you din't, luv," he said as her breathing calmed and slowed down to a normal rate. "Jus' look at who else has loved you."

"Hush, you," she reprimanded, swatting at him gently. She moved her head to his neck and inhaled deeply, basking in his scent. But something was off.

"Uh, Spike?"

"Yeah, pet?" he said, lifting his head. He was giving her yet another hickey, just to show the world she was his.

"Do you smell smoke?" she asked. Spike inhaled and jumped off of her and onto the floor, only to leap back onto the bed. Sometime during their encounter, one of the candles that had been on the bedside table got knocked over. The fire mingled with the spilled alcohol, engulfing the floor by the bed in flames.

"I think we're gonna have to jump," Spike said, standing up on the bed. Buffy stood up next to him, grabbing his hand. They jumped over the flames, barely getting singed in the process. Thankfully, Buffy's clothes had escaped the fire thus far, so she pulled her jeans and shirt on quickly. Spike moved to grab as many of his belongings as he could. Buffy saw him grab some clothing, a pair of books, and a small stack of records. He thrust the lot into Buffy's arms, moving back towards the flames. Buffy saw what he was going to retrieve: a framed picture of her and Dawn. By now the entire bed was engulfed.

"Spike!" she yelled. He turned around and looked at her, but she couldn't see the emotion on his face. "Leave it! You'll see me every day. I'm not going anywhere, and neither is Dawn." He looked back at the picture, then back to her. He ran back to her side in two steps, pushing her towards the ladder. He took his belongings from her in one hand and climbed the ladder with the other.

"We've got to get out of here, luv," he said once they were above ground. The smoke from the basement had risen, filling the crypt with thick black smoke.

Buffy grabbed her bag and his duster from where they'd dropped them, and moved to grab his favorite battle-axe. Spike grabbed a sword he was particularly fond of pushing her towards the door. They burst out into the fresh air, Buffy coughing harshly. Spike dropped what was in his arms and dashed back into the crypt quickly. He returned with a large duffel bag, his skin slightly burned and smoking. Buffy was on hands and knees on the ground, coughing fiercely. Spike dropped to her side, one hand at her back.

"I'm okay," she managed to get out. "Are you?"

"'M fine, luv," he said. He held his breath again and ran back into the crypt. This time, he returned with a bottle of water, which he opened and held to her lips. Buffy drank greedily, letting the water quench her parched throat. She drank too quickly and choked, causing her coughing to renew.

"Luv?" Spike asked worriedly, rubbing her back. "Look at me, Buffy."

"I'm okay," she rasped. "Just a little smoke inhalation." She sat back on the grass, letting the cool night air wash over her. She turned to look at her boyfriend, noticing the angry red burns on his exposed skin.

"You're burned," she said, moving to his side. She grazed his skin with her fingers gently, not wanting to hurt him.

"I'll be okay, pet," he said, cuddling her to his side. The danger had come far too close for his liking. Buffy held onto him tightly, one hand curling into his hair. They lay together on the cemetery grass until Buffy's skin had cooled and Spike's burns were close to healed. _Gotta love vampire healing_, Buffy thought.

"C'mon," she said, getting slowly to her feet. Holding out her hand, she helped Spike up to his feet.

"Where are we going?" Spike asked, moving to fill his duffel bag with his belongings.

"My house," Buffy said. "I burned down your crypt- by the way, I'm really, really sorry about that- so you're coming home with me."

"Pet, you don' have-"

"Shut up, yes I do," Buffy said, handing him his duster. She had her backpack slung over one shoulder and his battle-axe in her hand. "Let me relieve my guilt for burning down your crypt by having you sleep in my bed till you find a new place."

"I can sleep in the basement," Spike said, throwing the duffel over his shoulder. He didn't want to allow himself to feel the hope that was rising in his chest at the prospect of living with her.

"Well, I don't want to sleep in the basement," Buffy said. She reached for his arm, looping hers through his. They set off at a leisurely walk towards Revello Drive. "So you'll sleep upstairs with me. Only 'cause now I'm used to waking up next to you."

"You sure, pet?" he asked. "It'll be easier for your friends-"

"Dawn already knows, and she's psyched about it," Buffy interrupted him. "And my friends… God, I don't know. I'm terrified to tell them, but at the same time a big part of me doesn't really give a damn what they think."

"They're your friends, sweetling," Spike said. "I know you better than to think you don't really care. You care what they think."

"Yeah, I do," Buffy said. "But I already know what they're going to say. Willow will be confused and worried, but as long as I'm happy she won't say anything. Tara will be supportive- she'll just want me to be happy too. And Anya will be psyched because she'll think we'll go on double dates with her and Xander-"

"Which we won't," Spike said, his eyes pleading with her.

"Which we won't," she agreed with a quick peck on his cheek. "And Xander…" she sighed heavily, and Spike wrapped an arm around her, pulling him to her protectively.

"Xander's going to be the one with the problem," she said.

"What about your Watcher?" Spike asked as they turned a corner. "Can't imagine he'll be too thrilled that his Slayer's hookin' up with a soulless vampire."

"Giles… will disapprove, but he'll be all English stiff-upper-lippy about it and not say anything," she said. "He'll clean his glasses a lot and there will be a ton of him saying 'Oh dear.' But I think Xander will be the one we have to worry about."

"Why?" Spike asked. "I mean, I know Harris and I don' see eye to eye all the time." Buffy snorted. "Okay, never. But you think he'll really have that much of a problem with it?"

"I think he'll just be the only one to voice his problems with it," Buffy said. "I think they'll just worry why I'm with you. Especially because I'm going to tell them about where I was before they brought me back." That was a sore subject for Spike. Finding out that Willow hadn't even bothered to figure out where Buffy was before she yanked her back to Earth had enraged him.

"Why will they think you're with me?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know," Buffy admitted. "Because I'm lonely. Because I was in heaven and now I'm back in my own personal hell. Because you're the closest thing to Angel I have." She stopped, grabbing Spike's hand. "That's what _they'll_ think. Not what _I_ think, you know that right?"

"Of course, kitten," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead as they resumed walking. "We've been over this."

"Yes, we have," she said, threading her fingers through his. "Spike? I have a question."

"What's that, luv?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Why do you love me?" she asked shyly. "I mean, I'm not even nice most of the time."

"Eh, I like a girl who's mean to me," he joked. He rolled his eyes at her and kissed the top of your head. "You're gorgeous, Summers. And I don' just mean that tight li'l body of yours." She blushed and dropped her gaze to her bare feet. Her shoes had been forgotten in the fire.

"You're perfect for me, girl," he said. "You're just the right blend of dark and light. Mostly light, though, with just a touch of shadow to you." He touched a finger to her chin, drawing her eyes up to look at him. "And you're funny, too, usually without tryin' to be."

"Hey, why do I feel like you're making fun of me?" Buffy asked, pouting.

"'Cause I am," he said. "The biggest reason why I love you is 'cause I do. Can't explain it, I jus' love you."

"Did you say that you loved me so that I would say it back?" she asked.

"Now? Yes, because I love hearing it," he said. "I love you."

"I love you too," she answered, smiling at him. "And before?"

"I said it so you would know that someone loved you without askin' somethin' of you," he said. "I din't care if you loved me back, I was jus' gonna love you to love you."

"Spike," she sighed. They'd come up on Revello Drive quickly. She didn't want to go inside yet, so she sat down on the front porch steps. Spike sat down next to her, pulling her close to him. She leaned her head onto his shoulder with a sigh, this one more happy than worried.

"The problem is that they shouldn't have a problem with it, but they will," she said quietly. "If they knew…"

"What if Dawn had a problem with us being together?" he murmured.

"She doesn't," Buffy said. "But if she had… I probably would have called for a cab yesterday, and you wouldn't be here now. Dawn's my sister. She's the only real family I have left. If she didn't approve, I wouldn't be with you now. I'm sorry. I've been a crappy sister thus far, but I've always tried to put her before anything else. She approved of Angel and Riley, although technically she didn't exist. But still, you know what I mean."

"Then it's a good thing the Bit likes me so much," Spike chuckled. Buffy smiled with him, turning her head so she could kiss him softly. The kiss started out chaste, but then Spike's tongue darted out into her mouth, and her hands moved from the back of his head to slip inside his duster, feeling his hard muscles against her. As he moved to shift her onto his lap, a loud rapping on the window interrupted them. They broke apart as Dawn opened the front door.

"You two done making out?" she asked, crossing her arms in the signature Summers-woman-annoyed stance.

"Hey Niblet," Spike said. She grinned crookedly down at him.

"We weren't making out," Buffy said, getting to her feet.

"Yeah, that's why you totally weren't feeling him up, either," Dawn said sarcastically.

"Exactly," Buffy said, grinning at her sister. Dawn's eyes lit up at her sister's smile, and reached down to grab the backpack.

"Why do you have so much stuff?" she asked, looking at the weapons and Spike's duffel bag.

"Uh, well, see-" Buffy stammered.

"Blondie here burnt down my crypt," Spike said bluntly, winding an arm around Buffy's waist.

"Nice job," Dawn commented. "How'd you do that?"

"Knocked over a candle," Buffy said. She turned in Spike's embrace and pointed a finger at him. "Though, y'know, you were the one that spilled your liquor, so really, it's partially your fault."

"Well if you hadn't told me to f-" Buffy clapped a hand over Spike's mouth. He seemed to realize that Dawn was standing a foot from him, and looked over at the girl sheepishly. "You're right. My fault."

"Okay, I have one rule," Dawn said, turning and walking into the house. "You two can screw all you want-"

"Dawnie!" Buffy cried, looking around for Willow or Tara. She set Spike's weapons down by the door, and he let his duffel bag fall to the floor.

"Relax, they're at the Bronze. I didn't really feel like going, so Willow left me some money for pizza. You guys hungry?"

"Does it have anchovies?" Buffy asked. Dawn had a penchant for the smelly fish.

"Nope, Hawaiian," Dawn answered.

"Good, I'm starving," Buffy said. Dawn smiled, disappearing into the kitchen. She returned a minute later, three sodas balanced on top of the pizza box.

"We could have stopped if you were hungry, luv," Spike murmured, hugging her from behind.

"Nah, this is good," Buffy said, grabbing a slice. "And I wasn't that hungry before we-"

"Like I was sayin' about the rules," Dawn said, popping the top on her soda can. "Then only rule I have is that you two can do whatever you want so long as I don't have to see it, hear about it, or be kept up all night by it."

"Okay, Dawnie," Buffy said, mouth full of pizza. Spike chuckled at her, sliding onto the sofa. Buffy slid in next to him. Spike opened one of the sodas, sipping on it slowly as he watched the two Summers girls attack a medium pizza.

"So, are you guys, like, official?" Dawn asked, sitting on the floor across from the sofa.

"Yeah," Buffy said, glancing at Spike. "But we'd still like to keep this between the three of us for now. I'm going to call a Scooby meeting tomorrow and tell them."

"Dramatic," Dawn said. "You might want to bring a weapon, though. Xander was a little more than pissed when I told him you'd been gone for three days with Fang Face here."

"Nice mouth you got there, Platelet," Spike said. "Watch it." Dawn smirked at him, taking another huge bite of pizza.

"What did you tell him?" Buffy asked.

"That you two had eloped, and were coming back with a new baby brother or sister for me, of course," Dawn said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "I said you'd gone on a hunting trip, which got extended because you'd gotten hurt. I had actually figured you'd told him when you asked to borrow his cell phone."

"Oh, I didn't actually ask for it," Buffy admitted shamefacedly. "He left it here a couple of days ago, so I took it with me."

"Nice job, kitten," Spike purred in her ear. Buffy took a long drag from her soda can, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand when she was done. Dawn was watching her closely, scrutinizing the way Spike's arm wound around her waist and they way that she moved so part of her body was always touching his. Buffy was smiling, something Dawn had only seen her fake since she'd come back from Hell.

Buffy could always read Dawn very well, most likely because she was made from the Slayer's blood. She knew she was worried about her, because Buffy had been so depressed since her return from Heaven. Buffy looked over at Spike, asking him a silent question. Spike looked back at her, reading her mind.

"Dawnie, I have something else to tell you," Buffy began.

"What is it?" Dawn asked, suddenly worried. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong anymore, Dawnie, I just need to tell you something," Buffy said. Her hand on Spike's knee squeezed gently. "I'm going to tell the others this tomorrow, but you shouldn't have to wait."

"What is it, Buffy? You're scaring me," Dawn said.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Buffy said. She scooted to the floor, sitting cross-legged across from her sister. Taking Dawn's hands in hers, she squeezed them gently.

"I love you, you know that, right?" Dawn nodded. "I know I've been a pretty bad sister lately, and I'm sorry. I'm going to try to be better. But I've been in a pretty bad place lately."

"I noticed," Dawn said. "You were never very good at hiding things from me."

"Ditto," Buffy said. "But then again, you were made of me, so that's probably why."

"This has something to do with the time that you were dead, doesn't it?" Dawn asked.

"Yes," Buffy said. Spike's hand found its way to her shoulder, reassuring her. "Dawnie, there is nothing in the world that could take me away from you. I don't want to leave again, okay? Remember that. I'm your sister, and I love you, and I'll protect you even if it means me dying again."

"Buffy, you're doing that scaring thing again," Dawn warned, flicking her eyes up to Spike. He was staring down at Buffy, his brow creased with worry. Buffy took a deep, steadying breath.

"When I was dead, I wasn't in hell," she said slowly. Dawn's quick intake of breath made her eyes tick up to her sister's face. Dawn's eyes were swimming in tears.

"I was okay," Buffy said. "I was happy. I knew you were safe. And I was done."

"Oh my god, Buffy, I'm so sorry!" Dawn wailed, her tears finally leaking over the brim. Buffy moved to pull Dawn into a tight hug.

"It's okay, Dawnie," she murmured, rocking Dawn like she had when Dawn was a little girl and she was scared of the dark. "Everything's okay now. Shh, sweetie."

"If I had known…" Dawn sobbed. "Spike… did Spike know?"

"I told him, yeah," Buffy said, looking up at her boyfriend. He started to get up, but she shook her head, mouthing "Stay."

"It took me awhile to get over it," Buffy said. "But when I was hurt- it was close, Dawnie. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to leave again."

"Buffy, I'm so sorry," Dawn sniffed. Buffy ran a hand over her sister's hair, cradling her to her chest.

"It's okay, Dawnie," she murmured. "Everything's going to be okay. I'm going to be a better sister, okay? I'll teach you to fight and everything."

"Okay," Dawn said, her tears finally subsiding. Her gaze turned up to Spike. "Spike? I need a hug from the Big Bad."

"Sure thing, Niblet," he said, getting to his feet. He pulled the pair to their feet as well, holding Buffy's hand as he pulled Dawn into a tight hug.

"Spike?" she asked, her voice muffled by his duster.

"Yeah, Bit?" he asked.

"You sleep, right?" she asked. She looked up at his face, which was wrinkled in confusion. "Vampires sleep, right?"

"You know they do, luv," he said slowly.

"Okay, well, I'm just sayin', I might not be able to take you in a fight, and I love you and all, but if you hurt Buffy, you'll wake up on fire," Dawn said, her arms still wrapped around him.

"When did you get so scary?" Buffy asked, laughing.

"I won't hurt her, Dawnie," Spike vowed. "And I won' let you or her get hurt ever again, okay?"

"Okay," Dawn said. She pulled away from him, running a hand through her hair. "Now, I'm going to go upstairs to bed, because the whole crying thing always makes me tired. I'm going to turn on some music very loudly in my room, okay? Willow and Tara will be home around one." Without another word, she turned on her heel, dashing up the stairs.

"What do you think she meant by that?" Spike asked, looking down at his smiling girl.

"I'm pretty sure she meant that we should keep it down so she can sleep, and that we need to be in bed by the time Willow and Tara come home," Buffy said, grinning at him wickedly.

"I'm sure we can make it to bed by then," Spike said, matching her grin. "Though I'm not sure how you're going to keep quiet."

"Let's try, shall we?" Buffy asked suggestively, pulling him down to kiss her.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: this is it, everyone! I hope you liked it!

-6-

Buffy stretched lazily as she woke, warm and comfy in her bed. It was probably morning by now, but she couldn't tell because the windows were heavily covered by blackout curtains to keep the sunlight out.

"You don't sleep enough," a husky voice said from behind her.

"Sorry, I don't need that much sleep," she said, turning over to look at the very sleepy face of Spike. She lifted a hand to run it through his sleep-tousled curls.

"_I_ do, 'specially if you're gonna keep me up all night," he murmured, purring slightly at her attention. His arms wound around her waist, drawing her tightly to him.

"What are you doing?" Buffy said quietly as Spike pulled her so every inch of their bodies were touching. His skin was warm from her body heat. He wasn't human-warm, but it was interesting to not get goose bumps from touching him.

"Go back to sleep," he ordered, closing his eyes. "We'll get up in a little while."

"You go to sleep," she said, pulling back from him. "It's Saturday. Maybe Dawn will go shopping with me."

"You'll leave me here alone?" he pouted. Buffy giggled, leaning in to suck on the protruding lip.

"I'll be here when you wake up," she promised, disentangling herself from him and standing. Spike kept his eyes open long enough to watch her get dressed, but as soon as her perfect skin was covered up, he was unconscious again. Buffy turned to look at him, smiling gently.

"Love you," she murmured, leaning down to kiss his forehead. Quietly she slipped out and padded down to the kitchen. Dawn was sitting at the kitchen counter, munching on some toast.

"Hey Dawnie," Buffy said, grabbing a bowl and pouring in some cereal. She sat down next to her sister and kissed the top of Dawn's head. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah. You guys remember to put the pillow behind the headboard?" Dawn smirked when Buffy's ears turned bright pink. She giggled and took Buffy's hand. "I'm happy that you're happy, Buffy. Even if it is with the biggest dork in history."

Buffy giggled and squeezed Dawn's fingers. "That means everything to me, Dawnie. You don't understand."

Dawn blinked hard, pushing back the tears in her eyes. "So what are your plans for the day? You gonna spend it all in bed with that yummy man of yours?"

"Actually, I thought we should go shopping," Buffy said. "After I make a call. Do you know what time it is in England?"

"Early afternoon, I think," Dawn said. "Or maybe it's the middle of the night. I can never remember. Why?"

"I need to threaten a pathetic Watcher," Buffy said, walking over to the telephone. She looked up the number for the Watcher's Council in London and dialed. "Yes, I want to talk to Quentin Travers. You tell him it's Buffy Summers." She grinned at Dawn. "Hey, Quenty. How are you? Oh me? I'm just peachy. But ya wanna know how you can make my day even better? I want paid. What do you think for? I want paid for being the Slayer. Nope, not a Watcher's salary. I want paid what _you_ get paid, Travers. Oh, of course that's fine. No, don't worry about it at all. So you won't mind if I ship a Suvolte demon to you, will you? Or maybe I'll just call up D'Hoffryn. I've got an in with him, and I'm sure he would just _love_ to wreak some vengeance on the Watcher's Council. Oh good, I'm glad you're understanding me." Her eyes widened and she smirked. "Why, yes, Quentin, a hundred thousand a year should do me just fine. You can wire that to my account now, can't you? Retroactive would be just lovely. I was called at 15, mind you, so that's what, five years? That should pay for Dawn's college _and _grad school. Aw, Quenty, you shouldn't have. You're just so generous. Thanks, I'll talk to you later!"

Buffy hung up the phone and turned to her sister. "A hundred thousand?" Dawn asked.

"Every year," Buffy said. Dawn shrieked and leapt off the chair, jumping up and down excitedly. Buffy joined her, giggling like mad.

"How do you expect anyone to sleep in this house when you two are screamin' like that?" Spike grumbled, walking into the kitchen. He was bare-chested and barefoot, and his hair stood on end in wild curls.

"I just called the Council," Buffy said, accepting the kiss he gave her.

"And? What do the wankers have to say?"

"A hundred thousand a year. To be paid retroactively from the time I was called," Buffy said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "It's official. Your girlfriend is loaded."

"Good," Spike said, kissing her again. "I always wanted t' be a kept vamp."

"Pshh, I'm getting it all, you big moocher," Dawn said, slapping Spike's bare shoulder. "I'm going to go to Yale."

"Not with grades like you have," Buffy said.

"You aren't going to buy my way in?" Dawn asked with a pout.

"Nope, but I'll buy you new shoes," Buffy said, disentangling herself from Spike's neck. "Do you want me to get you anything while we're out?"

"I was jus' jokin' 'bout the kept vamp thing, luv," he said. "I don' need you t' do anything."

"But I want to," she said. "I did burn your house down, y'know."

"you can make it up t' me by comin' back upstairs, kitten," he purred in her ear.

Buffy pouted. "But I want to go shopping."

Spike rolled his eyes, giving up. "Go, then, you silly girl. I'm goin' back to bed."

She smiled, kissing him sweetly. "Night, baby. We'll be back later, okay? And we're going to the Scooby meeting tonight. You'll come, right?"

"Wouldn' miss it for the world, pet." He kissed her again. "Love you."

"I love you too," she said without pause. Dawn let out a little happy sound. Buffy slapped Spike on the butt. "Now go to bed."

"Keep her out of trouble, Niblet," he called over his shoulder as he made his way up the stairs. A moment later, a bewildered Tara and Willow filed into the kitchen.

"Hey Buffy," Willow said. "Did we just see Spike walk upstairs?"

"Yeah, I burned down his crypt by accident," she said, "so he's going to be staying here for awhile."

"W-well okay, but why was he going to your room?" Willow asked in confusion.

"Because that's where he's sleeping." She glanced at Dawn. "We're going to go to the mall, have a Summers girl day, so we need to go get dressed. Try not to wake up Spike, okay? He gets cranky if he doesn't get enough sleep. Oh, and if he wakes up hungry, there's blood in the freezer. He'll have to defrost it, but he's a big boy, he can do it himself."

Giggling at their still-confused faces, Dawn and Buffy trotted out of the room and upstairs. They showered and dressed quietly, Buffy kissing Spike's forehead gently before she left, and took off toward the mall.

Ten stores and three very tired credit cards later, the Summers girls returned home, dropping their packages on the floor in the foyer. Spike was up finally, sitting on the couch fully clothed and watching TV. Dawn flitted over to one side of him and flopped down on the couch. Buffy sat down on his other side, cuddling in close.

"Hi," she said, grinning. "Where are Willow and Tara?"

"Took off to the Magic Box 'bout an hour ago, after tryin' their best t' get me t' talk 'bout why I was here."

"Good, then I can do this," Buffy said, kissing him deeply. "Missed you."

"Oh god, gag me," Dawn groused, stealing the remote. "You two are so cute it makes me want to ralph."

"You two have fun?" he asked, throwing an arm over each of their shoulders.

"Tons. Ooh! We bought you prezzies," Buffy said, bouncing out of her seat and over to one of the bags. She brought it back with her, pulling something blue out as she went. "I saw this and just _had_ to get it. It's going to look amazing with your eyes."

"woman, I told you not t' buy me anything," Spike pouted as she held the silk shirt up to his chest.

"I believe you told me I didn't _have_ to buy you anything. I wanted to." She dropped her eyes to the ground. "If you want me to take it back, I will. I just thought… I wanted to do something nice for you."

He sighed and shook his head. Damn girl knew just how to play him. "I love it, kitten. Jus' din't wan' you t' spend your newfound money on me, is all. Thank you."

"Good, 'cuz I got you a bunch more," Buffy said brightly, clapping her hands. "Oh, and I got new sheets for the bed, and we went into this furniture store and I saw this _to-die-for_ four-poster, but I didn't buy it yet, because I want you to look at it first and-"

"She's been like this all day," Dawn said to Spike quietly as Buffy babbled on. "If it didn't make me so happy to see her like this, I'd slap her upside the head."

"-And I thought we could go maybe one night this week and you could look at the stuff and I just thought that since you're going to be living here too that you'd want a say in what we do-"

"Wait, luv, hold up," he said. "I thought this was jus' for a bit, till I get someplace new."

"Well, I was just thinking… I mean, only if you want to… but I thought maybe you'd like to, I dunno, move in?"

"Permanently?" he asked, forgetting completely that Dawn sat mere inches from him.

"Yeah, permanently," Buffy said. "I mean, if you don't that's okay, I'm not going to force you, cuz who would want their crazy girlfriend that they've only been with for a couple of days to tell them that they're going to live together, but if you wanted to-"

Spike cut her off with a searing kiss. "Slayer, you are by far the silliest girl I have ever met," he said. Her eyes were half-lidded and her breath came in shallow pants. "You think I'm gonna say no t' spendin' every night in your bed?"

"_Our _bed," she corrected him.

"Platelet, you stay down here. Turn that TV up loud, got it?" he stood, scooping up Buffy in his arms.

"Wait, grab that bag," Buffy said, pointing. "I bought you another present." Spike smirked at her and picked up the little bag. He tossed a grin back at Dawn and carried the Slayer up the stairs.

"God, I am totally going to ralph," Dawn muttered, turning the volume up.

"Wait here," Buffy said, guiding Spike to sit on the edge of the bed. She took the bag from his hands and slipped out of the room. She came back moments later, nudging the door open with her foot.

"I saw this on a mannequin at the store, and it seemed like something you'd like," she murmured, stepping inside and shutting the door behind her. She wore a dark red silk robe that fell to her knees, black stockings and a pair of black heels. As she sauntered closer to the bed, she opened the robe. Spike's mouth started to water as he looked her over. Black silk and red lace covered her best parts. His hands itched to take off the garter belt and corset, but as he raised his hands, she slapped them away.

She straddled his legs, pushing her lace-covered breasts in his face. "So? Do you like it?"

"I like it so much 'm gonna rip it off you in a mo'," he said, panting for unneeded breaths.

"You're not supposed to take it off, see?" she guided his hand down to her pussy and slipped his fingers through the hole in her panties. Then she unlaced the corset a bit to let her breasts spill out.

"Buffy," Spike murmured reverently. The Slayer grinned at him and pulled his shirt up over his head. Her hands slid down his chest, stopping only once to play with his nipples. When she unzipped his pants and shoved her hand down them without ceremony, Spike moaned loudly.

"I'm going to wear this under my clothes tonight," she purred as she pulled out his cock and lowered herself on it. "So that you know that when we come home, I'm going to make love to you until you can't walk."

"You're gonna be the one that has trouble walkin', luv," he said, thrusting up into her heat. She moaned and threw her head back, exposing her neck to him. His lips immediately found his bite marks, nibbling gently on them.

"Is that… oh god… a challenge… vampire?"

"That it is, Slayer," he said, dropping his head to suck on a rosy nipple.

"Well then… challenge accepted," she moaned. Then she squeezed him with her internal muscles as hard as she could. He cried out, his hands clenching her ass tightly.

"Do that again and I'll come, luv," he said.

"I believe that was the point," she said saucily. She squeezed him again, gentler this time, and grinned as he moaned.

"Dirty fighter," he said. "Two can play that game, you know." His hand slipped between them, stroking her clit through the silk of her lingerie. When he took a nipple into his mouth and bit down on it, she was lost, crying out with the force of her orgasm. The wringing of her muscles was too much for Spike to ride out, and he fell over the edge seconds later.

"Christ, woman, I love you," Spike panted, holding her tightly.

"Love…you… oh god, that was amazing," Buffy said, her head slumped onto his shoulders.

"Hey pervs! If you're done in there, Xander just called and asked when we're going to be at the Magic Box." Dawn's voice carried down the hall

"Give us a minute, Bit," Spike called back. He rubbed Buffy's back slowly. "Should we get dressed then?"

"Yeah, I guess," Buffy murmured. She slipped off his lap, whimpering slightly when his member was pulled from her body. "I'm gonna go get cleaned up, okay?"

"'K luv, go on," he said, swatting her behind gently as she walked away. She giggled and smiled back at him, blowing a kiss.

Spike grinned and flopped back onto the bed. The girl really did have him wrapped around her little finger.

Buffy held Spike's hand as they walked to the Magic Box. Her nerves were getting the best of her. What if her friends wouldn't accept them as being a couple? What if they told her that she was wrong for loving him? And… after Buffy told them about Heaven, would they just think it was a consequence of her being back.

As they walked to the front door of the shop, Buffy squeezed Spike's hand. "Wait," she said. Spike turned around, frowning.

"What's wrong, luv?"

"I just… before we go in there, I have to say something, okay?" She dropped his hand, fiddling nervously with a ring on her finger. "No matter what they say in there, Spike, you have to believe me, okay? I love you. I'm going in there at your side, and I'm going to leave at your side. No matter what."

Spike's awed smile took her breath away. He bent down to kiss her lips softly. "I love you, Buffy Anne Summers."

"I love you too, William."

"One day I'll tell you my full name," he said, grinning. "Now, let's go, 'fore my nerves talk me out of it."

Dawn gave them a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'll put the beat down on anybody who gives you a hard time, okay?"

"Yeah, 'd like t' see you try, Bit," Spike said, ruffling her hair.

"Hey!"

The bell that sounded when the Magic Box door opened usually didn't sound ominous. Today, though, every head in the shop turned at the sound, and Buffy flinched.

"Buffy," Xander said. "And Dawnie! And… Spike."

"Hi Xand," Buffy said. She looked around. "Where's Giles?"

"Here," Giles said, emerging from the training room. "I was taking inventory on the weapons cache. We'll need more stakes soon."

"I've got a duffel bag full at home," Buffy said.

"How was your… trip with Spike?" Giles asked casually.

"It was good," Buffy said, smiling up at Spike. "It was fun, well except for that part where I almost died."

"I did like that coyote," Spike said. "I'll have t' get me some more o' that."

"Ew, Evil Dead, we don't need to hear about your meals," Xander sneered.

"It's no different than when you talk about cheeseburgers," Dawn said. "And don't call Spike that. He has a name."

"Spike isn't a real name."

"Oh and 'Xander' just has that touch o' class that all names need, does it?" Spike sniped back. Buffy laid a hand on his arm.

"Stop it," she murmured. "Just ignore him." Spike nodded, taking her hand in his again. Buffy turned to glare at her friend. "Xander, cut it out. If you don't have anything nice to say, just shut up, got it?"

"What's going on, Buffy?" Willow asked. "First you take off for days with Spike, then you call the Scooby meeting without telling us why, and Spike's living in the house, and now you're yelling at Xander?"

"Wait, the Undead's living at your house?" Xander cried. "What the hell, Buff?"

"_Spike_ is living at my house because I asked him to," Buffy said. "And last I checked, it's _my _house, so I'll choose who can live there. And I swear to god, Xander, if you call him one more name, I'll shut your mouth for you."

Spike looked around at the Scoobies. While Red and the whelp looked shocked, Anya looked a tad vindicated, and unless he was mistaken, Glenda the good witch was downright glowing. Rupes didn't look too happy, but then again, he always looked like he had a stick up his ass.

"Buffy, we're just a bit confused," Willow said.

"I know, and if you guys would stop wigging for a minute, I'll explain myself," Buffy said. She squeezed Spike's hand once and let go, walking toward her friends. "There… are a few things that you guys need to know."

"I need to know why you're letting that stay in your house," Xander said.

"And I need you to shut your damn mouth, Alexander Harris," Buffy growled. "I will not ask again." The boy backed down as the Slayer glared at him. "Now, to start off, we need to talk about what happened when you guys brought me back."

"You know we didn't know you were going to be brought back in your coffin, right? That was a mistake," Willow said.

"Not your only one," Buffy said. The redhead frowned. "What I mean is, you didn't even bother to do your research on that spell, Willow. You didn't find out where I was after I died, you didn't find out where I would be brought back to, nothing. You just did your little spell and decided everything else didn't matter."

"Buffy, what do you mean?" Tara asked quietly.

"I mean, I wasn't in a hell dimension after I died," Buffy said. "I mean, for god's sake, guys, I'm the freakin' Slayer! I'm a hero! Heroes don't go to hell!"

"But you fell through a portal," Willow said. "And Angel fell through a portal, and he was in a hell dimension."

"He was also one of the most ruthless vampires in history," Buffy said. "That's a bit different than being Slayer."

"So you were… oh goddess," Willow said. "You were in Heaven?"

"Of course she was," Giles snapped. "I told you, Willow! I told you this would have consequences. You've ruined Buffy's life!"

"Giles," the Slayer said quietly. "It's… well, it's not okay, and I'm not sure it will be okay for a long time, but I'm adjusting. And yeah, for awhile there I wanted to go back, because this world sucks, but…" She glanced back at Spike and Dawn and gave them a small smile. "But I don't want to die again. I'm happy now, a lot happier than I have been. I just thought you guys should know."

"That's why," Xander said. Anya looked at him sharply.

"That's why what, Xander?" Buffy asked tiredly.

"That's why you're hanging around him," he said. "You're still all wacked from being in Heaven, and he's tricked you-"

"Good god will you shut up!" Anya screeched. "Any moron can see they're in love. Did you not hear that she said she's _happy_? She's happy with him. And for good reason, I should guess. Vampires have excellent sexual stamina."

"Oh good, I was worried there for a minute," Buffy said. "You weren't sounding like yourself, Ahn." She grinned at the ex-demon, who smiled brightly back.

"I should tell you about my relationship with Tyler sometime," Anya said.

"That's okay, I'll live without it," Buffy said, holding up a hand. "And yes, Anya, you're right. I love Spike, and he loves me. I asked him to move in with me."

"WHAT?!" Xander screamed, standing. "You do not love him, Buffy! It's wrong! You can't love something that doesn't have a soul! You can't love a demon!"

"Can you love Anya, Xander?" Buffy said quietly, not flinching as he yelled at her.

"That's different."

"I don't see how it is," she said.

"But Buffy, it's you."

"Yes, Xander, it's her," Anya snapped. "It's her, and she wants Spike. She doesn't want you. And come to think of it, I'm not sure I do either."

"What? Ahn-"

"No, do not 'Ahn' me," she said. "And you can find someplace else to sleep tonight, because I'm not letting you in."

"Anya, honey-"

"Uh, can I?" Tara interjected meekly. "Um, I-I think I have something that c-c-could h-help."

"What is it?" Spike asked, coming up to stand behind Buffy. He rested his hands on her hips as she leaned comfortably back against his chest.

"Well it-it's this spell," she said. "It, um, shows p-people's auras. I th-think it would help."

"Go ahead," Buffy said. Tara stood, fishing around in her bag for something, and then turned back to the blonde couple.

"Uh, do either of you have a lighter?" Spike reached into his pocket and tossed her his Zippo. "Thanks." She lit the end of the herb in her hand and waved it in front of them. "Vis meg den indre skjønnheten."

Buffy and Spike didn't see anything, but the rest of the group gasped. "Spike, can you move to stand next to her? It would help us see yours on its own."

"What is that?" Dawn asked, walking around Buffy and Spike in a wide circle.

"Their auras, Dawn," Tara said. She gestured to the area around Buffy's hip. "See that? That's her Calling. And Spike's demon has a mark over here." She pointed to the area just over Spike's shoulder.

"They both have that one," Dawn said, pointing at Buffy's chest. Try as she might, Buffy couldn't see a thing. "It's so bright."

"Can you guess what that is?" Tara asked. "It's bright red and it's on their chests…"

"Their hearts?" Dawn asked. Tara nodded. "But it's so big. Everyone's isn't always that big, is it?"

"I believe, Dawn, that Buffy was telling the truth," Giles said. "When a person is in love, their heart color on their aura becomes larger, brighter."

"It's beautiful," Willow murmured. "And there's hardly any black on them."

"What's the black?" Xander asked.

"Sadness, despair, and suffering," Tara said. "See this big blue swath here?" She pointed to an area on each of them. "That's happiness. They really are very happy together."

"I can't really argue with that," Willow said, moving to hug Buffy. "I'm glad you're happy, Buffy."

"While I may not be overly fond of your choice in partner, I cannot help but be grateful for the smile on your face," Giles said, hugging his Slayer as well.

"Wait, guys, this is wrong. This is _Spike and Buffy_ we're talking about here!"

"Yeah, but look at how cute they are, with the hand-holding and the smiley-ness. C'mon Xand, look at them."

"If you don't accept them, you're going to alienate your friend," Dawn said. "And I'll kick your ass. I'm just sayin'."

"Dawnie, don't cuss," Buffy said. She turned hopeful eyes on her friend. "But she's right, Xander. So what's it going to be?"

"You're not under thrall?"

Buffy smiled. "No. Spike doesn't even have thrall."

"You're not still all wonky from being in Heaven?"

"Nope."

Xander sighed. "Then I guess I'll deal with it. It's your life, right?"

"Right." She walked over to him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Xand."

"You're still sleeping on the couch tonight," Anya interjected. "Because it is a classic action taken by women who are angry at their boyfriends. But I won't call off the engagement just yet."

Xander's eyes widened comically.

"Engagement?!" Willow asked. "Buffy's in love with Spike and now you're getting married? Next thing you know, Giles is going to stop wearing tweed!"

"Now was that really necessary?" Giles huffed. The Scoobies laughed raucously as he scrubbed at his glasses. "How you lot manage to save the world is beyond me."

Buffy let Spike lead her up the stairs later that night, smiling the whole way. "What do you have in mind?" she asked. "Whenever you grin like that, it's a bad idea."

"You'll like this, I promise," he said. "Tell me luv, do you hear the witches or lil sis?"

Buffy looked around. "No. where are they?"

"Convinced 'em t' get a hotel room for the night," he said.

She grinned wickedly. "So we have the house to ourselves?"

"Yep. It's jus' us."

"Well then, vampire," she said, unbuttoning her blouse to show him her corset. "You should be prepared, because you're going to lose the ability to walk soon."

He gave her a feral smile. "I look forward to it."

Their happy giggles carried on the wind as they fell upon the bed.

Fin


End file.
